The Price Tag Jumped $4 Billion in a Matter of Days

When Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before the House and Senate Armed Services Committees last month, he said the Iran war had cost $25 billion. By Tuesday, acting Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst told Congress the number is now $29 billion, according to CBS News.

That's $4 billion more in weeks. U.S. officials familiar with internal assessments told CBS News back in April the true figure could be closer to $50 billion — nearly double what Hegseth stated publicly.

Hegseth Faces Congress — and Doesn't Have Many Answers

Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, sat through back-to-back hearings before House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees this week. The Pentagon is simultaneously seeking a $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 defense budget — a 42% increase over 2026 levels, according to CBS News.

Hegseth called it a "fiscally responsible budget." The claim stands at odds with the administration's inability to account for the war's climbing costs and the absence of any detailed cost breakdown provided to Congress.

On the question of congressional authorization, Hegseth's answer was the same as it's been from the start: "Our view is that he has all the authorities he needs under Article 2." No legal memo. No formal War Powers Act notification. Nothing.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said she intends to introduce a formal Authorization for the Use of Military Force, arguing the administration needs a legal foundation for a prolonged conflict.

House Republicans Killed the War Powers Vote by Not Showing Up

On Thursday, the House was scheduled to vote on a Democratic-led war powers resolution similar to the one that cleared the Senate procedurally last week. It didn't happen. According to The Hill, House Republicans appear to have simply ensured enough members were absent to punt the vote.

No debate. No rejection on the merits. Just absence as a procedural weapon.

Tillis Shuts the Door on the Senate Side Too

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) — who famously didn't vote at all on the Senate war powers measure last week — clarified Wednesday where he stands: he will NOT vote for the war powers resolution, according to The Hill.

The math in the Senate remains tight. Collins, Paul, and Murkowski are the Republican votes for the resolution. Cassidy is now a lame duck. Without additional Republican defections, the resolution dies before it reaches Trump's desk — where it would face a veto anyway.

Pakistan's Possible Role — and Why Graham Is Furious

One detail receiving limited attention: Sen. Lindsey Graham asked Gen. Caine during the hearing about CBS News reporting that Pakistan is allowing Iranian aircraft to park on Pakistani airfields. Caine confirmed he'd seen the report. Graham did not hide his reaction.

"If they actually do have Iranian aircraft parked in Pakistan bases to protect Iranian military assets, that tells me we should be looking, maybe, for somebody else to mediate," Graham said. "No wonder this damn thing is going nowhere."

Pakistan has been positioned as a potential peace mediator. If that CBS News report is accurate, that role is compromised.

Gas Prices Are the Kitchen Table Issue Nobody Is Framing Correctly

GasBuddy's head of petroleum analysis Patrick De Haan said Wednesday that gas prices could spike next week if the U.S. and Iran don't reach a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, according to The Hill.

The Hill separately reported that gas prices have already spiked to historic levels. This is the Iran war's most direct impact on ordinary Americans, and it's getting treated as a sidebar to the political theater in Congress.

Spiking gas prices are what will actually move Republican senators in competitive races, not constitutional arguments about Article 2. Sen. Collins noted she's facing a tough re-election fight and said she won't vote to extend the conflict past 60 days "unless there is a dramatic change," according to NPR. That 60-day War Powers Resolution clock, with a possible 30-day presidential extension, is ticking.

The Senate Reconciliation Mess Adds Another Layer

On top of all this, Senate Republicans canceled plans to vote this week on a budget reconciliation package — a bill that would provide $70 billion for immigration enforcement through 2029, according to The Hill. Internal disagreements were significant enough that leadership blinked.

Republicans are trying to fund a $29-billion-and-climbing war, push a $1.5 trillion defense budget, pass major domestic legislation, and avoid a midterm wipeout. They don't have the votes or the unity to do all of it at once.

What This Means for You

A war that was "supposed to last less than six weeks," per The Hill, is now costing at least $29 billion — possibly $50 billion — with no formal congressional authorization, no detailed public accounting, and no clear end date. Gas prices are rising. The House won't vote on the question. And the Senate math is a handful of lame-duck senators away from being irrelevant.

The costs are being passed to taxpayers. Gas prices reflect the conflict. And oversight remains limited, with the House skipping votes and the defense secretary offering Article 2 as his complete answer.