U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer, Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) and Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, Vice Chair of the JEC held a hearing to examine the war’s impact on the economy, including state and federal funds and future care costs of veterans. The hearing entitled, “Fight Now, Pay Later: The Future Costs of Funding the Iraq War” was held Thursday, June 12, 2008 at 10 am in Room 106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer testified along with veterans health and economics experts. Governor Schweitzer, who travelled to Iraq in May 2006, has called for a plan for success in Iraq that includes a speedy withdrawal and better healthcare opportunities for returning soldiers, especially within his own state which has the highest rate of military veterans in the U.S. The JEC examined economic costs of the war more broadly earlier this year and released its own report on those costs last year. Estimates have put the cost of the War in Iraq in the trillions of dollars.
