Hegseth Tells Senate Iran War Has Cost $37.5 Billion, Up Nearly $8 Billion Since Last Estimate

The number keeps climbing

Since Hegseth testified before the same committee on the $80 billion supplemental request Tuesday, the headline figure has firmed up: $37.5 billion. That's what Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee the Iran war has cost the Pentagon through the end of fiscal 2026, which closes September 30.

That's an increase of nearly $8 billion from the $29 billion estimate given about a month ago, and up from $25 billion in late April, according to Breaking Defense. Reuters, via Al-Monitor, reported the same $37.5 billion figure and noted a source told the wire service back in March that the first six days of the war alone cost at least $11.3 billion.

Nobody in the room got a clean explanation of how the Pentagon landed on $37.5 billion. Breaking Defense reported Hegseth didn't detail what's excluded from the total, only that it covers military pay, operations and maintenance, and "anticipated costs." Xinhua noted that White House budget director Russell Vought had told lawmakers in June the war cost roughly $30 billion, a full $7.5 billion below Tuesday's number.

The ask is nearly double the cost estimate

The administration isn't asking for $37.5 billion. It's asking for $67.1 billion in Iran-related defense funds as part of an almost $90 billion supplemental package, according to Breaking Defense. India Today put the broader package at $95 billion, which also includes $10 billion in farm aid for tariff-hit farmers and $10 billion for voting law changes, including new ID requirements.

That gap, between what the war has reportedly cost and what the Pentagon says it needs going forward, is exactly what senators pressed on. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, said the supplemental doesn't appear to include funding to repair damage to U.S. bases or infrastructure in the region, and said she hasn't seen full damage estimates. If American forces suffered strikes on bases, taxpayers deserve to know what repairs will cost before Congress signs a check.

Gen. Dan Caine, the Joint Chiefs chairman, gave senators no firm number for what the war will ultimately cost. "I can't answer the question on what it will cost, because the enemy gets a vote," he said, according to Breaking Defense. He said he'd keep Congress informed as things develop and warned the Pentagon needs to move fast with industry to rebuild munitions stockpiles.

Democrats smell a blank check, Republicans mostly fall in line

Sen. Patty Murray, the committee's top Democrat, didn't hold back. "This war is now spiralling out of control again," she said, according to India Today. She noted Trump has claimed more than 40 times that a deal was near and the war would end soon, and said he's now asking for another $70 billion "and for us to just trust him it'll all work out fine."

If the administration has repeatedly predicted an imminent resolution and repeatedly been wrong, lawmakers have grounds to demand better cost accounting before approving another massive tranche of funding. House Speaker Mike Johnson's response, that "the commander in chief and the whole Department of War are working very hard to bring this to a resolution," doesn't answer Murray's specific point about the math. Trump has also personally pushed all House Republicans to vote for the budget resolution, according to India Today, and the White House urged Congress to pass it "without modification, immediately."

Republicans have largely not challenged Trump's strategy, India Today reported, even as an AP-NORC poll cited in that same report shows most Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling Iran. Gas prices have risen as Iran works to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and munitions stockpiles are reportedly running low after repeated exchanges of strikes.

Hegseth also got grilled on his own record

Sen. Susan Collins, the Republican chair of the committee, told Hegseth it was "deeply troubling" that the Pentagon had blocked or denied promotions to various officers, particularly women and minorities, according to India Today. That's a Republican chair criticizing a Republican defense secretary on personnel decisions, not a partisan talking point.

Several protesters interrupted Hegseth's opening remarks Tuesday, India Today reported, underscoring how contentious the hearing got before a single question was asked.

What's still unanswered

The Pentagon hasn't disclosed exactly what's included or excluded from the $37.5 billion figure. Damage assessments for U.S. bases hit by Iranian strikes haven't been made public, according to Shaheen's own account at the hearing. And Caine has explicitly declined to project a final cost, leaving Congress to vote on tens of billions more without a firm endpoint.

The Senate will need to reconcile the roughly $90 to $95 billion supplemental package before lawmakers leave to campaign for the midterms, per India Today's reporting. Whether Democrats can force more disclosure on base-repair costs, or whether the package moves as the White House has demanded without modification, remains the open question hanging over the funding fight.