U.S. Nuclear Weapons Programs Expenditures for FY 2023 (Tax Year 2022) = $90,336,000,000!

Nuclear weapons threaten us every moment of every day. While most reasonable individuals recognize that these weapons cannot and must not ever be used, approximately 12,512 weapons (1) remain in the nuclear arsenals of the world. We also know that the use of even a tiny fraction (<1/2%) of these weapons over a single populated region would cause catastrophic climate change resulting in a global famine putting potentially 2 billion people at risk (2). These weapons also threaten us by robbing our communities of precious resources that could be redirected to the many needs that our communities cry out for. This Nuclear Weapons Cost Program, now in its 34th year, attempts to determine the full cost of nuclear weapons programs to our communities. There have been many excellent calculations of portions of our nuclear weapons costs including the ICAN report on global costs (3). These reports deal primarily with the cost of warheads and delivery systems and development alone in an attempt to compare one nation to another. In our report we include verifiable costs of all nuclear programs that would not be spent if nuclear weapons did not exist. These include funding of the nuclear missile defense system, environmental cleanup and legacy programs dealing with communities that have been contaminated by the mining, development, testing and stockpiling of these weapons. Also included is nuclear nonproliferation funding and funding to safeguard and sequester nuclear weapons in Russia and former Soviet Union States.

Determining the full cost of U.S. nuclear weapons programs is a tedious process as the United States is not fully transparent in these figures. We have chosen to list only figures that we can provide reference to. There are other reports that estimate the forecast to be much higher including in “Warheads to Windmills: How to Pay for a Green New Deal.” In 2013, with the release of the “Black Budget” by Edward Snowden, it was estimated that there were some $9 billion in “top secret” nuclear operations that were never publicly released. While likely still being funded, it has become impossible to track those expenditures and thus there is no inclusion herein. This fiscal year finds our nation emerging from the global COVID 19 pandemic while facing years of infrastructure neglect resulting in water shortages, contamination and toxic legacies as in the recent Jackson, Mississippi and recent Flint, Michigan disasters often in economically disadvantaged communities and communities of color. The very existence of nuclear weapons and programs is an economic, environmental, social and racial justice issue. As our country struggles with these realities it is our hope that this project will provide assistance to communities across our nation attempting to address these inequities together. We invite your comments and questions about our program.

1. https://fas.org/issues/nuclear-weapons/status-world-nuclear-forces/
2. https://www.ippnw.org/pdf/nuclear-famine-two-billion-at-risk-2013.pdf
3. https://www.icanw.org/spending_report

Every April, Dr. Bob Dodge, President of PSR-LA’s Board, calculates the full cost of all nuclear weapons programs to our communities.

For FY 2023, Los Angeles County will spend $2,684,543,111 on nuclear weapons programs, and the city of Los Angeles will spend $1,091,585,981! These are tax dollars much better spent on human needs. Now more than ever, we must change our national priorities and invest in critical needs for our survival, not deadly weapons that must never be used.

You can learn how to calculate individual or community costs below. A table with costs for major cities throughout the United States, as well as source references, is also provided.

CALCULATE YOUR INDIVIDUAL OR COMMUNITY COSTS

Individual Tax Costs
In 2023, the average cost of nuclear weapons development to every man, every woman, even every child in the United States was $271.05. This is based on a national per capita average annual income of $37,638. If your income is different from this, you can calculate your income modifier by dividing your income by the national average. For example: your income $ / $37,638.00 = your modifier. Multiply this modifier by $271.05 to get your tax contribution to nuclear weapons programs this year. Your modifier x $271.05 = your nuclear weapons tax contribution.

Community Tax Costs
You can calculate the cost of nuclear arms to your community using the following formula:
$271.05 X pcim X your population = community cost. To determine pcim (per capita income multiplier) for your community, refer to source 9 listed below. Find per capita income for your county, divide by national per capita income ($37,638.00) – i.e. average per capita income in your county divided by national per capita average ($37.638.00) = pcim for your county. Population figures for your community can also be found in source 9. If you want help calculating the cost for your community, reach out to Alex at ajasset@psr-la.org.

NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMMUNITY COSTS