by David Nitkin
Office of Management and Budget director Jim Nussle blasted a congressional report that pegged the cost of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan at $1.6 trillion through next year, saying the study by the Joint Economic Committee was “clearly partisan.”
Nussle, a former Iowa congressman who was chairman of the House Budget Committee, said Democrats in Congress wanted to gin up discontent about Iraq at a time when reports about reduced numbers of bombings and other developments are trending positive.
“They tried to manufacture bad news on their own,” Nussle said during a breakfast meeting with reporters.
The committee previously enjoyed widespread respect on Capitol Hill, but Nussle said its credibility had been eroded because Democrats were using it “for unfortunate partisan or P.R. purposes.”
Republicans on the committee, headed by Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, did not participate in the preparation of the report, which concluded that the total cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could swell to $3.5 trillion over the next decade after oil market disruptions, forgone investments, long-term healthcare for veterans and interest payments on borrowed war funding are factored in.
“The full costs of this war to our economy are manifested in ways that have never been accounted for by this administration: We are funding this war with borrowed money, Americans are paying more at the gas pump, and it will take years for our military to recover from the damage of the president’s failed war strategy,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said earlier this week.
David Nitkin covers the White House for the Baltimore Sun, a Tribune Co. newspaper
![Four years into cannabis legalization in Illinois, celebrations of the April 20 informal weed holiday known as 420 are getting bigger and more widespread. Named for the time of day a group of friends met to get high, 420 has become a chance for marijuana users to publicly share a previously illegal drug and the counter-cultural atmosphere surrounding it. The main event in downtown Chicago likely will be the second annual 420 Sesh Fest, at Green Rose Dispensary. The party will include live music, a magic show, carnival games, food trucks, pop ups, and product discounts. It also will feature Grammy-nominated […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-l-Illinois-marijuana_175925141.jpg?w=546 "Four years into cannabis legalization in Illinois, celebrations of the April 20 informal weed holiday known as 420 are getting bigger and more widespread. Named for the time of day a group of friends met to get high, 420 has become a chance for marijuana users to publicly share a previously illegal drug and the counter-cultural atmosphere surrounding it. The main event in downtown Chicago likely will be the second annual 420 Sesh Fest, at Green Rose Dispensary. The party will include live music, a magic show, carnival games, food trucks, pop ups, and product discounts. It also will feature Grammy-nominated […]")
