Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate on Tuesday that the escalating conflict with Iran has already consumed $37.5 billion in taxpayer money, a figure that jumped dramatically from earlier estimates as the Trump administration requested nearly $88 billion in additional emergency funding to sustain operations.
The request came during a contentious hearing before the Senate appropriations committee, where Hegseth faced intense scrutiny over the war's mounting costs and three American deaths last week. Of the total supplemental funding request, roughly $67.1 billion is designated specifically for the Iran operation.
"Without these funds, we face critical shortfalls," Hegseth warned lawmakers, arguing the Pentagon could not "pay our service members, rapidly replenish equipment and munitions, and sustain vital operations without disruption."
The hearing marked the defense secretary's first extended public defense of the conflict since a ceasefire collapsed and fighting resumed. At least two American soldiers were killed in an Iranian attack on Friday, with another dying in Iraq while destroying an Iranian drone. The American death toll since February now stands at 17, while nearly 100 troops have been wounded, officials confirmed.
Democratic Senator Patty Murray, the committee's vice-chair, delivered a blistering critique of the administration's shifting justifications for the war. "We hear a different rationale for this war every few days," she said, noting that the stated objectives have moved from preempting threats to regime change, then to dismantling Iran's nuclear program and navy, and most recently to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
"Here we are, five months later," Murray continued. "The strait is closed. The ceasefire hasn't just disintegrated. This war is now spiraling out of control again."
Hegseth defended the spending as necessary deterrence. The $21 billion readiness portion would cover military salaries and replace equipment, while the $46 billion capability portion would expand production of advanced weapons including joint direct attack munitions, hypersonics, and counter-drone systems.
The administration's cost estimates have proven contentious. Director of Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought previously told Congress the war had cost roughly $30 billion, a figure experts believe severely undercount the actual expense.
Hegseth also faced pressure from Republicans. Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, both prominent voices in their party, have supported war-powers resolutions to limit the president's authority over the conflict. Collins, who faces a competitive reelection, pressed Hegseth on what would happen to military exercises if Congress denies the supplemental request. The defense secretary acknowledged that training "would have to be curtailed."
Both the House and Senate have passed war-powers resolutions urging the president to seek congressional authorization for continued military operations. When pressed on why the administration has not formally requested such approval, Hegseth said his department believes "standalone Article II authorities exist" to conduct the operation. He declined to answer whether approving the supplemental funding would serve as a substitute for explicit congressional authorization.
House Democrats have separately accused the Pentagon of withholding critical information. Betty McCollum, the top Democrat on the House defense appropriations panel, said the department missed a deadline to detail war costs and has not disclosed how many precision munitions remain in inventory after the military burned through thousands in operations.
Author James Rodriguez: "Hegseth's numbers don't add up and Democrats smell it, but Republicans are splitting on whether unlimited spending authority is even constitutional at this point."
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