Pentagon asks Congress for $87.6 billion Iran war supplemental, Hegseth testifies war has cost $37.5 billion
The Pentagon is asking Congress for $87.6 billion tied to the Iran war, on top of what it already spent. Hegseth told the Senate Tuesday the conflict has cost $37.5 billion so far. Senators pressed him on his earlier claim that Iran's military was destroyed, despite continued Ira
The Pentagon is asking Congress to approve an $87.6 billion supplemental funding package tied to the war against Iran, a bill that would ultimately be covered by US taxpayers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before the Senate on Tuesday that the request breaks down into $67.1 billion for war costs and $20.5 billion in non-defense funding covering items including farm aid, Ebola outbreak response, and infrastructure projects. Hegseth told senators the war has cost $37.5 billion so far and warned that military training would need to be curtailed without the funding boost. He also called on lawmakers to approve a separate $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request for 2027. During the hearing, senators pressed Hegseth over his earlier claim that Iran's military had been "destroyed," pointing to continued Iranian missile strikes as evidence the conflict is far from resolved. Bundling war costs together with unrelated domestic programs like farm aid and disease response makes the package harder for Congress to reject piecemeal, since voting down the bill would also mean voting down funding tied to agriculture and public health. Source: CBS News, PBS NewsHour