Eying Afghan Costs

The Congressional Budget Office should check into the cost of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's proposal for increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan by 40,000, Rep. Chet Edwards (D-TX) said yesterday at a House Budget Committee hearing.

"So have you personally analyzed in any way some of the other estimates that every soldier or serviceman or woman we have in Afghanistan, it costs about $1 million?" Edwards asked Matthew Goldberg, CBO's acting assistant director for national security.

Goldberg noted CBO has focused mostly on Iraq, which has been the bigger operation until now, and that CBO has not distinguished the cost per service member between the two theaters. "If we were to receive a request to look specifically at Afghanistan, we would attempt to make those distinctions and refining estimates," he added.

Edwards faulted Republicans for not seeking such information. "That seems completely inconsistent with their newfound focus on trying to reduce the deficit that, in my opinion, many of them helped create with their irresponsible budgets of tax cuts during a time of war and defense build-up,” he charged.

Meanwhile, the BBC reported last night that the White House is poised to approve McChrystal's troop request. The BBC's Mark Urban discussed the story on Charlie Rose last night. The White House is dismissing the report.