Pentagon Disclosed $37.5 Billion Spent on Iran War While Requesting $88 Billion More
The U.S.-Israel war on Iran has cost American taxpayers $37.5 billion since it began in February 2026. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed that figure to the Senate appropriations committee on July 21 while defending the Trump administration’s request for an additional $87.6 billion in supplemental funding.
Of the total request, $67.1 billion is earmarked specifically for the Iran war effort. Hegseth told the panel the money was “urgent, necessary,” warning that without it the Pentagon faces “critical shortfalls” in its ability to pay service members, replenish munitions, and sustain operations.
The hearing came days after three American troops were killed in the conflict. At least two soldiers died in an Iranian attack on Friday, July 18. A third died in Iraq while destroying an Iranian drone. Those deaths pushed the American death toll since February to 17. Nearly 100 troops have been wounded.
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American service members killed in the Iran war since it began in February 2026, according to Hegseth’s testimony before the Senate appropriations committee on July 21, 2026.
Senator Patty Murray of Washington, the committee’s Democratic vice-chair, challenged Hegseth on the war’s shifting justification. “We hear a different rationale for this war every few days,” Murray said, noting the stated goal had moved from preempting unspecified threats to regime change, then to dismantling Iran’s nuclear program, and now to reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Murray pointed out the Strait was “fully open, toll-free, before this war began.”
Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, a Republican, pressed for “straight answers” alongside Democratic colleagues, signaling bipartisan frustration with the administration’s transparency. Hegseth’s testimony was his first extended public questioning since a brief ceasefire collapsed and fighting resumed.
Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs, appeared alongside Hegseth to support the funding request. The Pentagon’s last major public briefing on the war before Tuesday was in May 2026.
Protesters interrupted Hegseth’s opening statement multiple times, forcing him to restart his remarks. The hearing lasted several hours.
The Senate appropriations committee has not yet voted on the $87.6 billion request. A vote in the full Senate would follow committee approval.
What You Can Do Now
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Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and tell them to demand a formal Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) vote before approving any supplemental funding. Congress has not authorized this war, and the supplemental request is a pressure point to force that debate.
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Contact members of the Senate appropriations committee directly. Find committee members and their office contacts at appropriations.senate.gov. Tell them to hold public hearings, require a detailed cost justification for all $67.1 billion earmarked for Iran, and release the full spending breakdown.
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Ask your senator where they stand on the $88 billion request. The vote has not yet been scheduled. If your senator sits on the Armed Services or Foreign Relations committees, ask them specifically whether they will require a war authorization vote first. Find your senator at senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm.
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Track the supplemental funding bill through Congress.gov by searching “supplemental appropriations Iran” to see when it moves to the floor and whether your senators voted for it.
Sources
The Guardian: Hegseth Discloses $37.5 Billion Iran War Cost, Requests $88 Billion More
PBS NewsHour: Three Key Moments From Hegseth’s Senate Iran War Hearing