The Postwar Bill for Iraq Surges

Wall St Journal ^ | 9-5-03

[SJackson]

Rebuilding Iraq is turning out to be far more expensive than the Bush administration predicted just months ago, with U.S. taxpayers likely to foot much of the tab.

The administration has been reluctant to discuss specifics before U.S. analysts in Baghdad determine exactly what's needed. But officials involved in the process say the U.S. tab for helping to rebuild and sustain Iraq through next year -- aside from the $3.2 billion already put into the effort -- could exceed $10 billion. On top of that, the administration expects to spend as much as $50 billion next year to keep tens of thousands of U.S. troops in Iraq, beyond the $70 billion Congress approved earlier this year to pay for the war and its immediate aftermath.