Pentagon Asks Congress for $80 Billion to Fund Iran War Operations
The Pentagon has informed senators that it requires approximately $80 billion, primarily to cover expenses related to the United States' military operations against Iran. This request adds to a substantial increase in defence spending already sought by President Donald Trump.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has not yet submitted a formal request to Congress. However, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has been briefing lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including on Monday evening.
Last week, a senior Deputy Defence Secretary briefed senators on the funding request, according to two individuals familiar with the matter who were not authorised to discuss it publicly. The Wall Street Journal first reported the development.
The funding push occurs amid a politically charged atmosphere. Some lawmakers have expressed scepticism about the deal President Trump reached with Iran to end the war, and are cautious about future steps.
The White House has requested a record $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, a nearly 50% increase over the current fiscal year's funding.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that he expects a supplemental spending request from the administration for the war. When it arrives, he said, “we'll work through it and see where the votes are”. He added, “We need to make sure we're doing everything we can to replenish, resupply a lot of our munitions that have been depleted – not only just with what's happening with Iran, but prior to that.”
Deputy Defence Secretary Stephen Feinberg spoke to several senators about the proposal last week and informed congressional committees that the $80 billion request had been sent to the Office of Management and Budget. The Pentagon has not yet responded to a request for comment.
The funding package is likely to face opposition from lawmakers who disagree with President Trump's decision to go to war and are hesitant to allocate more funds to the Pentagon while Americans face high living costs. In a hearing last month, Democratic Senator Patty Murray told Secretary Hegseth, “You're spending families' hard-earned tax dollars on a war that many strongly oppose.”
In addition to the Iran-related funding, Republicans aim to secure approximately $1.1 trillion through the regular appropriations process, which typically requires bipartisan support. They also hope to secure an additional $350 billion through a party-line vote later this summer.
The amount now sought by the Pentagon is significantly higher than the $29 billion estimate of war costs that Secretary Hegseth provided to Congress during his testimony last month. That earlier estimate covered replacing munitions, repairing equipment, and operational costs for deployed forces, but did not include repairing or rebuilding U.S. military sites damaged in the region.
It is also much lower than the initial $200 billion the Pentagon had floated as potential costs at the start of the war. An early estimate placed the cost of the first week of the war at $11.3 billion.
Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, a Democratic leader, said he expects the actual price could be higher than $80 billion. He noted that he has not assessed Democratic support for an Iran-focused bill, “but I haven't found anyone who wants to do this.”
Republican Senator Jim Banks of Indiana viewed the funding differently, stating, “To me it's less about the war, it's more about the stockpiles.” He added, “I would sell it to my state as an investment in our defence industrial base, reshoring defence production to Indiana.”
Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that funding for an Iran supplemental cannot be handled in isolation, implying the need for broader consideration.
