Washington—USAction President William McNary held a media conference call this morning to announce the release of reports detailing the cost of the Iraq War to states across the country. The individual reports are being released this week by USAction affiliates in 24 states and will detail states' share of the $456 billion+ spent thus far on the Iraq War and what that funding could have provided for neglected priorities such as education and health care in communities across the country.

McNary was joined on the call by Greg Speeter, the Executive Director of the National Priorities Project, an organization that analyzes federal budget data so that people can understand and influence how their tax dollars are spent. Also participating were Jim Hansen of United Vision for Idaho and Chrystal Hutchinson of Florida Consumer Action Network, two of the 24 state affiliates that are releasing reports with state-specific data this week.

"This data highlights how the Bush administration's upside-down priorities have shortchanged families and communities across the country," said McNary. "For a fraction of what American taxpayers have spent in Iraq, we could be addressing neglected priorities here at home – like providing more health care, child care and college scholarships."

The reports, entitled "Getting U.S. Back on Track," were authored by the USAction Education Fund and illustrate how each of the 24 states could have provided health insurance for more children, funded Head Start and provided more college scholarships if they were not saddled with their share of the nearly half-trillion dollars that has already been spent in Iraq.

The reports also find that the modest new investments in neglected priorities such as health care and education proposed by the new congressional majority and opposed by President Bush would amount to a fraction of what is spent every month on the war.

Even as the United States continues to spend $10 billion each month in Iraq, Bush administration officials and Republican leaders have suggested they would shut down the government before passing modest increases in funding for vital domestic priorities.

"It is simply unconscionable that President Bush and GOP leaders threaten to shut down our government over a fraction of what they are spending on the endless war in Iraq," continued McNary. "Across the country, USAction and its state affiliates are using these reports and the power of our grassroots network to urge members of Congress to override President Bush's veto of new funding that makes a down-payment toward fully funding children's health care, job training, education and other priorities that have been sorely neglected for far too long."

# # #

USAction and our affiliates in 24 states join together to win social, racial and economic justice for all.  We connect issues to elections and policy to politics. We seek to take our democracy back from the corporate elite and the well-heeled special interests that dominate the political process today – because we believe that government has a critical role to play in ensuring liberty and justice for all.  Members of the media who wish to interview USAction President William McNary should contact Will Matthews at (202) 263-4541.