{"id":2233202,"date":"2024-04-29T22:43:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T02:43:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-estimates-gaza-aid-pier-will-cost-us-taxpayers-320m-report\/"},"modified":"2024-04-29T22:45:07","modified_gmt":"2024-04-30T02:45:07","slug":"pentagon-estimates-gaza-aid-pier-will-cost-us-taxpayers-320m-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pentagon-estimates-gaza-aid-pier-will-cost-us-taxpayers-320m-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Pentagon&#8217;s Gaza Aid Pier Project Estimated at $320M for US Taxpayers: Report"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpentagon-estimates-gaza-aid-pier-will-cost-us-taxpayers-320m-report%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2233202&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Summary: The U.S. military anticipates that building a Gaza aid pier will cost \u2063taxpayers $320 million, a substantial increase from previous estimates. Sen.\u2063 Roger Wicker criticized the escalating costs, foreseeing minimal benefits from the\u2063 project. Recent Hamas mortar attacks near the operational site have raised concerns about risks to U.S. troops and potential responses to any attacks. Summary: The U.S. military estimates a $320\u200c million cost for constructing a \u2063Gaza \u2063aid pier,\u200c significantly higher than initial projections. Senator \u200cRoger Wicker expressed concerns over the project&#8217;s rising expenses and minimal advantages. Recent Hamas attacks close to the pier&#8217;s location have sparked worries\u2064 about U.S. troop safety and potential retaliatory actions.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The U.S. military reportedly estimates that construction of a pier to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-biden-administration-considers-releasing-money-to-taliban\/\" title=\"Report: Biden Administration Considers Releasing Money to Taliban\">deliver humanitarian aid<\/a> to Gaza will cost American taxpayers $320 million.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Defense Department officials recently increased the projected cost of the pier, a U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hispanic-caucus-takes-aim-at-african-american-veterans-service-on-key-panel\/\" title=\"Hispanic Caucus Takes Aim at African-American Veteran\u2019s Service on Key Panel\">defense official<\/a> and a source familiar told <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/us-militarys-pier-gaza-cost-320-million-2024-04-29\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Reuters<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. An estimate calculated earlier this year placed the total cost at roughly half the latest estimate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe cost has not just risen. It has exploded,\u201d Sen. Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Reuters. \u201cThis dangerous effort with marginal benefit will now cost the American taxpayers at least $320 million to operate the pier for only 90 days.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hamas fighters in Gaza reportedly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2024\/04\/25\/gaza-floating-pier\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">fired<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  mortars at Israeli forces near the \u201cmarshaling area\u201d of the pier, which will go into full service in May, last week. While Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder said that the pier under construction is \u201cnowhere near mortar range,\u201d but the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-women-who-taught-empowerment-workshops-killed-in-pakistan\/\" title=\"Four Women Who Taught Empowerment Workshops Killed In Pakistan\">attack raises concerns<\/a> about the risk to U.S. troops because of the operation, and raises questions over the possibility of a U.S. response if U.S. troops were to be caught up in a Hamas attack.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This has been an ill-conceived mission from the start. Every day when these ships have been in transit was another day terrorists in Gaza have been preparing to thwart their arrival. In any case, the risk to Americans will only intensify. President Biden should never have put our men and women in this position, and he should abandon this project immediately before any U.S. troops are injured,\u201d Wicker said in a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wicker.senate.gov\/2024\/4\/senator-wicker-statement-on-reported-gaza-pier-attack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  last week.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">President Joe Biden announced in March that the U.S. would construct a pier off the coast of the Gaza Strip in the Mediterranean Sea to facilitate the importation of aid to Palestinians. Palestinian aid has been one of the priorities of the Biden administration\u2019s approach to Israel\u2019s war against Hamas, an Iranian-linked terror group that ruled Gaza prior to the war.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biden has used the aid issue to increase pressure on Israel as it prepares to assault Rafah, Hamas\u2019 last stronghold in Gaza. The Biden administration has leveraged U.S. support for Israel\u2019s war effort for more humanitarian aid to Gazans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Critics have said that the Biden administration\u2019s push for aid to Gaza, whether through the pier or through its pressure on Israel, has prolonged the war effort and empowered Hamas.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe House Oversight Committee has been sounding the alarm about U.S. aid to Gaza falling into the hands of terror groups, but it is falling on deaf ears with President Biden and his administration,\u201d House Oversight Committee chairman Rep. James Comer of Kentucky said in a March <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/oversight.house.gov\/release\/comer-bidens-gaza-port-fast-tracks-aid-to-hamas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">statement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  slamming the proposed pier.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. military&#8217;s projected cost to construct a pier for Gaza aid delivery stands at $320 million, burdening American taxpayers. Defense Department officials hiked the estimated cost recently, as disclosed by a U.S. defense official and a Reuters source. Earlier calculations indicated a total cost, though specifics remain undisclosed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":2233203,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/Department-of-Defense.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2233202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/Department-of-Defense.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2233202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2233202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2233203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2233202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2233202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2233202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}