Pete Hegseth Challenges $25bn Iran War Cost Estimate
Pete Hegseth clashed with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Wednesday over the Pentagon’s $25bn estimate for the Iran war during his first appearance there since the conflict began. The House Armed Services Committee hearing put the cost dispute in public view as Democrats and several economists argued the total was far higher.
Jay Hurst, the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, told Representative Adam Smith the estimate was $25bn. Hurst said the figure mainly covered munitions and equipment maintenance, and he added that the department would send Congress a supplemental request once it had a full assessment of the conflict’s cost.
Hurst’s $25bn Estimate
Hurst said, “We’re factoring in costs of munitions expended in that total and other operational costs.” He also said, “We will formulate a supplemental [on additional funding], through the White House, that will come to Congress once we have a full assessment of the cost of the conflict.” The Pentagon’s figure was smaller than the $200bn initially requested by the Trump administration for the war.
Hegseth used the hearing to attack his critics. “The biggest challenge, the biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless, feckless and defeatist words of Congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” he said. He appeared alongside Hurst and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine as lawmakers pressed for a fuller accounting of the war’s cost.
Democrats and Economists
Democratic leaders and several economists said the $25bn estimate was a significant underestimate, putting the cost to the US economy and its 330 million people between $630bn and $1 trillion. Ro Khanna asked, “Do you know how much it will cost Americans in terms of their increased cost in gas and food over the next year because of Iran?”
The pressure on Hegseth came as the Trump administration asked for a $1.5 trillion defense budget for next year, a 42 percent increase that it described as the largest expansion in military spending since World War II. In March, Pentagon officials had told Congress the war cost $11.3bn in its first six days.
War Costs and Next Steps
The war has continued into its third month. Since February 28, US-Israeli attacks on Iran have killed at least 3,375 people, according to Tehran’s Ministry of Health, while the US military has reported 14 combat-related deaths and more than 200 injuries among its service members.
For lawmakers, the immediate issue is the supplemental request Hurst said would come through the White House once the Pentagon finishes its assessment. Until then, the dispute centers on whether the $25bn figure is a floor or a full accounting of what the war has already cost.
