U.S. Mega-Embassy in Iraq—Cost to you: $923 Million

Watching today’s Washington Journal on C-SPAN, I was shocked (well, not really) to hear about how large the U.S. Embassy in Iraq is.  According to a Washington Post article, the U.S. Embassy houses over 1000 federal employees and a slew of private contractors at a whopping $923 Million per year (2006 Fiscal Budget Report). The salaries of 600 employees and expenses from other Federal agencies aren’t included in that $923 Million Dollar budget, putting the bill to tax payers much higher. It is reported as the largest embassy ever in State Department History with a budget 20 times that of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China.

"I defy anyone to tell me how you can use that many people. It is nuts . . . it's insane and it's counterproductive . . . and it won't work," says the Republican former secretary of state and member of the Iraq Study Group. >>

The fact that more than 2/3 of the budget goes to protect the damn thing with the ALL the employees and contractors HIDING inside is ridiculous. The article points out that the mission of embassy staff is to form professional relationships OUTSIDE the walls of the “Little America” compound. At the moment that is not happening, causing many to question the embassy’s unnecessary size and budget. Furthermore, the article identifies the concern that the ludicrous size and budget of the Iraq Embassy is having a critical impact on the funding for America’s other embassies around the world.

"Maintaining an oversized mega-embassy in Baghdad is draining personnel and resources away from every other U.S. embassy around the world, and all for what?" said a senior State Department official. >>

Check out the article and read for yourself: How Much Embassy Is Too Much?

Now, we all understand that the Bush Administration and the Republicans don’t know how to manage or even keep track of U.S. taxpayer dollars properly, so that shouldn’t make you angry. However, all throughout the Iraq occupation, we have had a Republican President with a Republican Lead House and Senate. My question, what about limited government and controlled spending do these “Republicans” not understand? It is their philosophy—I am just asking.

~Amadeus

Comments

[genevieve]

The Bush Administration follies just keep coming, don't they? So more tax payer dollars wasted. Who would have thunk it? ;)

-Genie