The United States has spent more than $8 trillion on the War on Terror since 2001, a continuing conflict that has resulted in more than 900,000 deaths worldwide, according to research conducted by Brown University.
The War on Terror started as a result of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. In late August, the United States withdrew troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban regained control over the country for the first time since 2001. Yet the War on Terror isn’t over yet. There are still 2,500 troops in Iraq until at least the end of this year, for example. And the United States has involvement in the Syrian civil war, a country where there are 900 U.S. troops.
Supporters of these conflicts say they are necessary to further U.S. national interests, including trying to prevent terror attacks within the country.
Critics of these conflicts argue that they are a way to enrich defense contractors and their investors, which they say are a part of the military-industrial complex.
Defense contractors fund the campaigns of many members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation.
Here is a breakdown of the amount of money each Massachusetts congressman has taken from defense contractor political action committees, according to Open Secrets:
U.S. Representative Lori Trahan (D-Westford): $0 since 2017 (but $17,229 from individuals associated with defense contractors)
U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Dorchester): $0 since 2017 (she has never taken corporate PAC money but has received but $3,653 from individuals in the defense industry)
U.S. Representative Jake Auchincloss (D-Newton): $0 since 2019 (and $53 from individuals in the defense industry)
U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge): $10,000 since 2013 (plus $406,899 from individuals in the industry)
The United States has a vastly higher military budget than any other country in the world. It spends $738 billion on defense. That accounts for 3.4 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
China has the second-highest military budget in the world, spending $178.2 billion on defense in 2020. However, China has aggressively expanded military spending as of late. The country’s military budget has more than tripled since 2006 when it was $55.34 billion. After the United States and China, India is a distant third on the list. India spends $73.65 billion on its military.
Critics of U.S. military spending contend that there is immense waste in the U.S. military budget. A January 2015 report from the Pentagon said that there was $125 billion in administrative costs that the military could cut over five years.
NewBostonPost reached out to the press offices of all 11 members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation last week for comment on campaign donations from defense contractors but did not hear back.
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