It cost a fortune — hours before a government shutdown looms and Republicans demand sweeping budget cuts. USA Today reported that the likely cost of the transportation, housing and stipends for daily meals and incidentals of the military members to attend the meeting stretch into the millions. "They could host a video teleconference and not have to cost taxpayers millions of dollars," Virginia Burger, senior defense policy analyst at the Project on Government Oversight, told USA Today. One calculation put the cost at $3.4 million, but that may be low," wrote Cancian. Extra base costs for overtime, food, and security might be another $2 million, bringing the total to $6 million.