Pentagon: Iran war cost $37.5B so far, requests $67.1B more

WASHINGTON — The Iran war has cost the Defense Department $37.5 billion to date, Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators Tuesday during a hearing to request emergency funding for the ongoing conflict.

Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. John Caine testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee to seek $67.1 billion in supplemental money for the war and other DoD expenses, including munitions, drones, and Army and National Guard deployments to the southern U.S. border and Washington, D.C.

Skepticism Over Emergency Request

Given that the department has $75 billion remaining from the $156 billion it received last year in reconciliation funding under the One Big Beautiful Bill, senators voiced skepticism over the emergency request.

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the committee's top Democrat, said the committee would not "rubber stamp a request to bankroll this war," noting that the DoD received more than $1 trillion in funding last year and has requested $1.3 trillion this year.

"The president's request is not even primarily a request to cover the costs of the Iran war. This request is chock full of asks to fund unrelated DoD priorities, which should be considered through our annual appropriations process, not in an emergency supplemental," the senator said.

Similarly, Sen. Kristin Gillibrand, D-N.Y., asked how to convey the DoD's needs when constituents have seen gas prices, food, and other household expenses rise.

"You're asking for $1.5 trillion, unlimited money for bombs, but insufficient money for the American people for their healthcare, their food, their housing," Gillibrand said.

Hegseth Defends Request

Hegseth said the new funding is needed to support operations because the $75 billion in reconciliation funds are slated to be used to restore a military that was "ignored" under the Biden administration. The new request is an "urgent, necessary injection of resources to address" immediate needs, he said.

"The military requires a generational investment to deliver on peace through strength," Hegseth said, later adding that he didn't know what his predecessor, former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, "did for four years."

"The amount of neglect, the amount of stale thinking and bureaucracy was staggering when we took over," Hegseth said.

He added that the supplemental was "a new request based on new realities of a world we face."

"[We're] stepping up to meet the moment," Hegseth said.

Breakdown of the Supplemental Request

In May, Hegseth estimated that the cost of war at the time was $29 billion.

Roughly half of the supplemental request — $32.7 billion — is slated to fund the ongoing operation directly. The remainder is for national security priorities not related to the war.

The request includes:

• $21 billion for munitions
• $17.3 billion for operations
• $12.1 billion for classified programs
• $5.1 billion for cybersecurity
• $2.4 billion for drones
• $1.7 billion for readiness
• $1.5 billion for fuel
• $2 billion for "administration priorities" and National Guard support

Photo: A protester stands up and holds up a sign during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Donald Trump's supplemental funding request for the Department of Defense on July 21, 2026. (Eric Lee/Reuters)

Escalating Conflict and Casualties

The request comes as the war, which began Feb. 28, has escalated in the past two weeks. The U.S. has conducted air strikes consecutively for the last 10 days, and four U.S. service members have been killed in the last four days, bringing the total number of U.S. casualties to 18.

At least 14 merchant mariners also have died as a result of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the International Maritime Organization, and transits have decreased dramatically as Iran has reasserted its control over the strategic waterway.

Caine told senators he sat before them asking for the funding "while the window of opportunity — while time — is still on our side."

"Our adversaries are aligning in their interests, creating simultaneous challenges," Caine said.