House Dems: Publish taxpayer cost of wars

More than a dozen House Democrats on Tuesday introduced legislation that would require the Defense Department to make public the cost of three ongoing wars that Democrats in particular have opposed.

The Cost of War Act, H.R. 3088, would specifically require DOD to work with the IRS to determine "the cost to each American taxpayer of each of the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya," and post that information on DOD's public website.

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) is the primary sponsor of the bill, which is co-sponsored by 13 other Democrats. One of these, House Veterans' Affairs Committee ranking member Bob Filner (D-Calif.), has argued that calculations of the cost of these wars must include the cost of rehabilitating those who are wounded in action, and that Democrats see ending the wars as the best way to achieve the deficit savings Republicans are seeking.

"This war is costing, in addition to what the budget said, tens and even hundreds of billions more for treating our veterans," Filner said earlier this year to Republicans. "We must calculate that into the cost of this war. When you guys say 'deficit and debt,' we're going to say, 'Afghanistan.' "