The Pentagon is requesting $80 billion to fund the war against Iran

The Pentagon has informed several senators that it would need about $80 billion in additional funding, mainly to fund military operations conducted against Iran. This report comes from the the Associated Press, who site two people familiar with the situation but cannot discuss it publically.

This request, which has not yet been officially submitted to Congress by the White House, is being championed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who is meeting with lawmakers in order to gain their support.

This push for $80b in additional funding was first reported last week, with Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg reportedly presenting this funding proposal to senators. This new package comes as many lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, remain skeptical about the agreement reached by Donald Trump with Iran to end the conflict.

The White House also plans to request $1.5 trillion for the overall Pentagon budget, an increase of nearly 50% compared to the previous fiscal year.

The leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, John Thune, confirmed that he expects a request for additional funding. "We must ensure that we replenish our ammunition stockpiles, which have been heavily depleted not only because of Iran but also due to previous conflicts," he said.

The current estimate of $80 billion far exceeds the $29 billion mentioned by Pete Hegseth before Congress last month. That initial estimate mainly concerned the replacement of used munitions, the repair of military equipment, and the operational costs of deploying American forces. It nevertheless remains well below the 200 billion dollars initially envisaged by the Pentagon at the start of the conflict.

Several Democratic lawmakers are denouncing a new increase in military spending while Americans are facing a high cost of living. “You are spending the hard-earned money of American families on a war that many oppose,” Senator Patty Murray said to Pete Hegseth during a hearing last month.

Democratic Senator Brian Schatz, for his part, believes that the real cost of the conflict could exceed the $80 billion requested and says he does not see sufficient support, within his own party, for a bill devoted exclusively to funding the war against Iran.

Conversely, some Republicans, such as Senator Jim Banks, support this package in the name of strengthening the American defense industry and replenishing strategic stockpiles.

Congress will soon have to decide on this request, as the Trump administration tries to reconcile the continuation of negotiations with Tehran and the funding of a military effort whose cost continues to rise.