Hegseth Tells Senators the Iran War Has Cost $37.5 Billion
The defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs chairman asked Congress for about $67 billion in emergency funding, much of it to replace munitions used in the war.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, July 21, that the war with Iran has cost the Defense Department about $37.5 billion so far, up from an estimate of nearly $29 billion in mid-May, Military Times reports. He and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testified in support of the administration's request for about $67.1 billion in supplemental defense funding.
Hegseth called the money an urgent and necessary injection of funds, PBS News Hour reports, and said it would restock weapons used against Iran and cover budget shortfalls. In written remarks, he said the Pentagon is seeking $21 billion to speed purchases of high-end missiles and other munitions, according to The National. Senators from both parties pressed the officials for details on the war's costs and goals at what several outlets described as a contentious hearing. Congress must approve the request before the money can be spent.
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