House Dems call on deficit committee to end wars in Iraq, Afghanistan

By Pete Kasperowicz - 09/08/11 12:20 PM ET

More than 30 House Democrats have signed onto a letter that calls on the new deficit-reduction committee to reach its budget-cutting goal entirely by ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"To generate much-needed savings, we strongly urge you to examine the costs of the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq," read the letter, which is expected to be sent on Friday. "By ending the wars and paying for a safe, orderly, and responsible redeployment of troops from both Afghanistan and Iraq, we can go a long way toward meeting our fiscal challenges."

The letter estimates that $1.8 trillion in planned spending over the next 10 years would be cut if the wars were ended by the start of fiscal year 2013. It added that, to date, they have cost "at least $2.3 trillion, with an additional $884 billion in future costs for veterans and their families."

"Exorbitant spending on failed wars that have killed thousands of Americans must not be exempt from budgetary scrutiny," the letter adds. "Before we ask American families to pitch in more, let’s bring our troops home — and, in the process, our tax dollars home.

The letter is being led by Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.). As of noon Thursday, it had 32 co-sponsors — all Democrats, except for Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.).