The Pentagon has informed senators of its need for approximately $80 billion primarily to cover the costs of the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran. This request comes as part of a broader push for increased military spending by President Donald Trump.
The White House Office of Management and Budget has not yet made a formal request to Congress. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been actively engaging with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, including a visit on Monday evening. According to sources familiar with the situation, a top deputy defense secretary discussed the Iran funding request with senators last week.
Political Challenges and Skepticism
The request for billions in Iran war funding is met with a backdrop of political skepticism. Lawmakers are wary of the deal struck by Trump with Iran to end the war and are cautious about the next steps. The White House has already requested a staggering $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon, marking a nearly 50% increase over the current fiscal year’s funding levels.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that he expects a supplemental spending request from the administration for the war. He stated, “We’ll work through it and see where the votes are.” Thune emphasized the need to replenish and resupply munitions that have been depleted, not just due to the Iran conflict but also prior engagements.
Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg has been in contact with several senators about the proposal. He notified congressional committees that the $80 billion request had been sent to the Office of Management and Budget. However, the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Opposition and Concerns
The funding package is likely to face significant opposition from lawmakers who oppose Trump’s decision to go to war and are reluctant to allocate more funds to the Pentagon amid high living costs for Americans. Democratic Sen. Patty Murray criticized the spending, stating, “You’re spending families’ hard-earned tax dollars on a war that many strongly oppose.”
In addition to the Iran funding, Republicans aim to secure about $1.1 trillion through the regular appropriations process, which typically requires bipartisan support. They also hope to secure an additional $350 billion through a mostly party-line vote later this summer.
The Pentagon’s request is significantly higher than the $29 billion estimate provided by Hegseth during his testimony last month. That estimate primarily covered replacing munitions, repairing equipment, and operational costs to keep forces deployed. It did not include the costs to repair or rebuild U.S. military sites damaged in the region.
The initial estimate of the war’s costs was $200 billion with the first week alone costing $11.3 billion.
Diverse Perspectives on Funding
Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii, a member of Democratic party leadership, expects the actual price tag to be much higher than the proposed $80 billion. He has not found any Democrats supportive of an Iran-focused bill.
Conversely, Republican Sen. Jim Banks of Indiana views the issue as less about the war and more about stockpiles. He suggested framing the funding as an investment in the defense industrial base and reshoring defense production to Indiana.
Sen. Jack Reed the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that funding for an Iran supplemental cannot be done in isolation. He believes it should follow an agreement on total spending amounts for both defense and non-defense programs.
Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, a member of the Appropriations subcommittee on Defense, has been working to broaden the package to include funds for disaster aid for states like California and Hawaii, as well as agricultural aid for farmers. He believes this combination could garner enough support to pass.
Hegseth declined to answer questions from reporters late Monday as he strode around the Capitol. However, during a Senate hearing last month, he rhetorically asked, “What is the cost of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon?” He acknowledged that confronting the threat of a nuclear Iran “comes with cost — and we recognize that.”
