US War With Iran: Who Pays the Bill? | One Man’s War

The United States is at war with Iran — and history shows the cost of war is never what presidents promise.From Lincoln’s Civil War tax to the trillions borrowed for Iraq and Afghanistan, this episode examines how America shifted from paying for wars through taxation to financing them through debt — creating what Harvard scholar Linda Bilmes calls the “Ghost Budget.”Instead of raising taxes, Washington borrowed. Iraq was sold at $60 billion. The total obligation will exceed $6 trillion.When war is financed through debt instead of taxation, the burden shifts into inflation, future taxes, and long-term interest payments.This episode analyzes the constitutional balance between Congress and the presidency, the War Powers framework, and the financial structure behind modern American war.Who has the authority to write a check in your name for a war you didn’t authorize? Get full access to The Cerf Report at thecerfreport.substack.com/subscribe