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Summary

With enactment of the FY2008 Supplemental/FY2009 Bridge Fund(H.R. 2642/P.L. 110-252) on June 30, 2008, Congress has approved a total of about $864 billion for military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy costs, and veterans health care for the three operations initiated since the 9/11 attacks: Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Afghanistan and other counter terror operations; Operation Noble Eagle (ONE), providing enhanced security at military bases; and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Congress is currently considering the FY2009 Spring Supplemental which includes war funds to cover the rest of the current fiscal year. This $864 billion total covers all appropriations approved by Congress for FY2001 to meet war needs from FY2009 through the first part of FY2009, the current fiscal year. Of that total, CRS estimates that Iraq will receive about $642 billion (74%), OEF about $189 billion (20%), and enhanced base security about $28 billion (3%), with about $5 billion that CRS cannot allocate (1%). About 94% of the funds are for DOD, 6% for foreign aid programs and embassy operations, and less than 1% for medical care for veterans. As of February 2009, DODs average monthly obligations for contracts and pay were about $10.9 billion, including $8.4 billion for Iraq, and $2.6 billion for Afghanistan, a monthly average some $3 billion below last year. According to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the FY2008 Supplemental/FY2009 Bridge (H.R. 2642/P.L. 110-252) enacted last summer is expected to last until early July 2009. If DOD used its available transfer authorities, funding could last until early August 2009. Congress is currently considering DODs new FY2009 Spring Supplemental request which includes an additional $77 billion in war-related funding for the rest of this fiscal year. The Administration recently submitted its war funding request for FY2010 including $130 billion for DOD. Total war funding in FY2009, including the supplemental currently being considered, would be $149 billion or about $34 billion below the previous year. The decrease reflects a largely one-time purchase of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and less DOD procurement, reflecting a return to DODs traditional definition of war-related costs, rather than a significant reduction in troop levels. If the Administrations FY2009 Supplemental request is enacted, total war-related funding would reach $941 billion, including $684 billion for Iraq, $223 billion for Afghanistan, $28 billion for enhanced security, and $5 billion that cannot be allocated. Of this cumulative total, 73% would be for Iraq, 24% for Afghanistan, and 3% for enhanced security. If Congress approves the FY2010 war request, war funding since the 9/11 attacks would total over $1 trillion. In a January 2009 update, the Congressional Budget Office projected that additional war costs for FY2010-FY2019 could range from $388 billion, if troop levels fell to 30,000 by 2011 to $867 billion, if troop levels fell to 75,000 by about 2013. Under these CBO projections, funding for Iraq, Afghanistan and the GWOT could total about $1.3 trillion or about $1.8 trillion for FY2001-FY2019. This report will be updated as warranted.

Related Legislation:
• H.R.2642

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