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Funding request raises concerns about lack of congressional authorization and risk of protracted conflict; experts warn taxpayer costs could reach trillions of dollars
The Trump administration has asked the White House to approve an additional $200 billion in funding to cover the costs of the war in Iran, according to a senior defense official who spoke to The Intercept on condition of anonymity.
This figure, which is expected to be sent to Congress for consideration, comes on top of a record $1.5 trillion budget that the War Department has requested for 2027. During a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth did not deny the figure, stating that it could still increase.
“Of course, it takes money to kill bad people,” Hegseth said, adding that the funds are needed to replenish arsenals and prepare for possible future scenarios. “We’re not just filling up the warehouses, we’re going beyond that.”
Concerns about lack of transparency
The request for additional funds has immediately raised alarm among organizations that monitor public spending. Gabe Murphy, a policy analyst at Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for taxpayer interests, said the administration has provided no clear explanation of the goals or cost of the war.
"Taxpayers have received no transparency from this administration. So far, we have only seen rough estimates and low numbers. Now Secretary Hegseth is asking for $200 billion for a war that Congress never authorized?" Murphy asked.
According to him, this figure constitutes about 20% of the Pentagon's annual budget and raises doubts about whether the government is planning a long, drawn-out conflict, or is simply trying to increase the military budget without a clear justification.
Experts' warning: Trillions of dollars on the horizon
Linda Bilmes, an expert on the costs of war and co-author of the book “The Real Cost of the Iraq War,” says the $200 billion now being sought is just the tip of the iceberg. She explains that short-term costs (such as ammunition and troop deployment) will be far outweighed by long-term costs, such as veterans’ health care and interest on the war debt.
“If the 50,000 U.S. soldiers deployed to the Middle East file disability claims caused by exposure to toxic fumes and dust from combat, the costs will increase drastically,” Bilmes told The Intercept . She warns that this new war could cost American taxpayers trillions of dollars in the coming decades.
Furthermore, Bilmes notes that a new conflict is usually used as an excuse to increase the military’s base budget. “What is requested today as emergency funding becomes part of the regular budget tomorrow. Within a decade, we could be talking about an additional trillion dollars being put into the defense budget,” she concluded.
The request is expected to spark fierce debate in Congress, where lawmakers will have to decide whether to authorize this large sum for a war that so far remains officially unauthorized by the legislature.
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