PSA: if your country can afford to give your money away to other countries, then you pay way too much in taxes! 😂
U.S. Spending on Foreign Wars and Foreign Aid Since 1917
Since the introduction of the federal income tax in 1917, the United States has spent vast sums on foreign wars and foreign aid. Below is a breakdown of major expenditures, adjusted to 2024 dollars, followed by a total.
### Major U.S. War Expenditures (1917–2024)
| War/Conflict | Estimated Cost (Trillions, 2024 USD) |
|--------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| **World War I (1917–1918)** | $0.47 |
| **World War II (1941–1945)** | $5.74 |
| **Korean War (1950–1953)** | $0.48 |
| **Vietnam War (1962–1973)** | $1.03 |
| **Post-9/11 Wars (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.)** | $8.00 |
- The post-9/11 wars include direct appropriations, obligations, and long-term veterans’ care[1][2].
### U.S. Foreign Aid Since World War II
- **Foreign Aid (since WWII):** $3.8 trillion
[3]Foreign aid includes economic, military, and humanitarian assistance to countries worldwide, with major recipients including Israel, Egypt, South Vietnam, Afghanistan, and South Korea[3].
### Grand Total
| Category | Total (Trillions, 2024 USD) |
|-------------------------|-----------------------------|
| **All Major Wars** | $15.72 |
| **Foreign Aid** | $3.80 |
| **Combined Total** | **$19.52** |
### Key Points
- The U.S. has spent **over $19.5 trillion** (in today’s dollars) on foreign wars and foreign aid since 1917.
- The largest single expenditure was World War II, followed by the post-9/11 wars.
- Foreign aid, while smaller than war spending, still represents a significant outflow of taxpayer money[1][3][2].
> PSA: If your country can afford to give your money away to other countries, then you pay way too much in taxes! 😂
**References:**
[1] Investopedia
[3] USAFacts
[2] Costs of War (Brown University)
[1] investopedia.com/united-states…
[2] watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/co…
[3] usafacts.org/articles/which-co…
[4] aljazeera.com/news/2025/6/24/h…
[5] oxfordre.com/americanhistory/d…
[6] watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/co…
[7] online.norwich.edu/online/abou…
[8] statista.com/statistics/275597…
[9] econofact.org/u-s-defense-spen…
[10] sgp.fas.org/crs/natsec/RS22926…
[11] education.cfr.org/learn/readin…
[12] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military…
[13] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_S…
[14] foreignassistance.gov
[15] stimson.org/2024/the-ugly-trut…
[16] history.navy.mil/research/libr…
[17] pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperienc…
[18] csis.org/analysis/us-military-…
[19] pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/…
[20] scholar.harvard.edu/files/dtin…
The Ugly Truth about the Permanent War Economy • Stimson Center
Evaluating arguments for the United States to spend more on national security – and the potential consequences of doing soJoaquin Matamis (Stimson Center)
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