The considerable costs of Trump’s war with Iran

Set aside, for the moment, the many indirect ways Trump’s foolish decision to bomb Iran will cost America, like rising oil prices and stock market instability.

Set aside, too, the human cost of this horrific decision, not just in death and injury of American military members but of Iranian civilians as well, including the killing of 168 people at an elementary school, likely due to our military using outdated intelligence.

According to our own Pentagon, it is estimated that the war in Iran cost American taxpayers over $11.3 billion in the first six days alone. That’s close to $2 billion per day for the cost of munitions, operational expenses, and other losses like the three F-15E fighter jets worth about $250 million, mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses. And, the costs are expected to only rise higher as the war drags on.

It’s infuriating to see our federal government choose this very unpopular action, committing exorbitant amounts of money to war and destruction, when it says it can’t afford to give Americans food assistance or affordable health care. Extending the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies for a whole decade, doing the bare minimum of providing affordable premiums for over twenty-two million Americans, would cost around $300 billion, or $80 million dollars per day…a bargain at 1/25th the cost of starting another endless war in the Middle East.

This war is a reprehensible decision by our president, and comes at a huge cost that neglects the basic needs of our own citizens.