Wampum

So just what will $70 $87* billion buy you...

This evening, George W. Bush is slated to address the American public for a brief fifteen minutes. In addition to conveying his assurances that despite an escalating quagmire in Iraq and growing joblessness at home, all is well, Bush is expected to put a price tag on the costs of the "campaign" in Iraq. Estimates currently range between $70 and $80 billion, and while Bush may have to come back hat in hand to Congress later next Spring, he'll most likely ask for at least $50 billion.

I was interested in seeing how the proposed cost of the reconstruction of Iraq compared with the annual budgets for different US government agencies. The OMB keeps just such information handy.

Seeing that most of the American electorate rate the economy at the top of their list of current concerns, we head to the Commerce Department's OMB webpage, where we're told that this department,

undertakes a wide range of activities that contribute to the continued growth of the nation’s economy. Commerce gathers and develops economic and demographic data for business and government decision-making; helps American firms and consumers benefit from open and fair international trade; issues patents and trademarks that support innovation; helps set industrial standards and performs cutting-edge scientific research; forecasts the weather to improve public safety; and promotes sustainable stewardship of the oceans, including ocean fisheries.

2003 Spending: $5.8 billion

Next, let's head over to Homeland Security:

The Primary Mission of the Department is to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States; carry out all functions of entities transferred to the Department, including by acting as a focal point regarding natural and manmade crises and emergency planning; ensure that the function of the agencies and subdivisions within the Department that are not related directly to securing the homeland are not diminished or neglected except by a specific explicit Act of Congress; and monitor connection between illegal drug trafficking and terrorism, coordinate efforts to sever such connections, and otherwise contribute to efforts to interdict illegal drug trafficking.

2003 Spending: : $28.2 billion

Since he touted himself as the "Education President", let's head over to the Department of Education:

The Department of Education’s primary mission is to ensure equal access to education and promote educational excellence for all students throughout the nation. To achieve this mission, the Department: 1) provides formula and competitive grants to states and local educational agencies to support improvement of elementary and secondary education; 2) implements student financial assistance and higher education programs designed to ensure that postsecondary education is affordable and attainable; 3) conducts research and disseminates information on the best educational practices; and 4) produces statistics on the condition of education in the United States.

2003 Spending: $59.5 billion

How are the veterans of previous US conflicts abroad making out under Bush? According to the OMB,

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) operates the largest direct health care delivery system in the country. VA also supports medical research; administers veterans’ benefits including monthly disability payments, education assistance, life insurance, home loans, and vocational rehabilitation and employment services to veterans. In addition, VA runs veterans' cemeteries across the country. The President’s 2004 request for VA represents more than a 30-percent increase over the 2001 level and is the largest annual increase ever requested by a President.

2003 Spending: $56.9 billion

Of course, it's clear where Bush's priorities are not: Take the Environmental Protection Agency for example:

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in conjunction with its state partners, provides public health protection from air, water, solid waste, and chemical pollution. Over 40 percent of EPA’s budget provides grants to states to build water infrastructure such as sewage treatment plants and drinking water facilities, and oversee delegated programs for air, water, hazardous waste, and leaking underground storage tanks. EPA runs the Superfund program and regulates vehicle emissions and fuels.

2003 Spending: $8.0 billion

Even worse, this Administration's commitment to science, as shown by funding for the National Science Foundation:

The National Science Foundation (NSF) invests in basic research that forms the backbone of many science and engineering disciplines and capabilities in the United States. The agency provides merit-based awards to individual researchers and groups at about 2,000 U.S. colleges, universities, and other institutions. Although NSF represents less than four percent of the total federal budget for research and development, it accounts for approximately 13 percent of all federal support for basic research and 40 percent of non-life-science basic research at U.S. academic institutions. NSF’s broad support for basic research, particularly at U.S. academic institutions, provides not only a central source for discovery in many fields, but also encourages and supports development of the next generation of scientists and engineers.

2003 Spending: $4.9 billion

In fact, the budgets of the departments of Energy ($19.8 billion), State ($11.0 billion), Interior ($10.4 billion) and Justice ($22.2 billion) combined ($63.4 billion) will probably come in less this year than operations in Iraq.

But then, this new request for essentially Defense Department money is just a fraction of this year's DOD budget:

2003 Spending: $358.2 billion

*Late breaking NY Times story sets the number, per a Republican source, at $87 billion.

Posted by MB Williams at September 7, 2003 02:03 PM | TrackBack