Bernie Sanders' plans would cost $18 trillion

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published 15 September 2015

If Bernie Sanders wins the presidency, the U.S. would spend more — a whole lot more. The Wall Street Journal tallied the costs of all of the Vermont senator's proposed projects, and totaled Sanders' tab at a whopping $18 trillion. That cash would go toward what The Wall Street Journal says would be "the largest peacetime expansion of government in modern American history," including an estimated $15 trillion government-run health care program that would ensure coverage for every American, an emphasis on rebuilding infrastructure, the expansion of Social Security, and free tuition at public colleges across the country.

Sanders plans to raise the money for these projects through tax increases, which his staff say could bring in as much as $6.5 trillion in a 10-year period. But while Sanders is confident he could find the cash, conservative and liberal jaws alike are dropping over how much Sanders plans to spend. Democrats think that it might be "politically infeasible" for Sanders' spending proposals to become a reality.

Feasible or not, Sanders defends the spending as going to "essential government services at a time of increasing strain on the middle class," The Wall Street Journal says. "Sen. Sanders' agenda does cost money,” his policy director Warren Gunnels told The Wall Street Journal. “If you look at the problems that are out there, it’s very reasonable.”