Rep. John Lewis pushes for running tab of war costs

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) has reintroduced legislation that would require the Pentagon to keep tabs on the cost of U.S. military operations in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

The “Cost of War Act,” which was filed on Friday, would require the Defense Department to work with the IRS to calculate how much taxpayers are spending on the wars in Afghanistan and against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). If enacted, the agencies would have to disclose the totals on their websites.

{mosads}Recently, Lewis offered the measure as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the House last week, but it was rejected by the GOP-led Rules Committee.

Lewis’ proposal was previously wrapped into the House’s NDAA in 2013 and 2014, his office noted Monday, but wasn’t included in the final House-Senate conference report.

Pending before the House Armed Services Committee now, the bill comes after reports that the key Iraqi city of Ramadi has fallen to ISIS after Iraqi security forces retreated.

The Pentagon confirmed last month that U.S. military operations against ISIS have so far cost the U.S. more than $2 billion. The fight had crossed the $1 billion mark in December.