Defense Department requests more than $200 billion for Iran war, to replenish stocks

The Defense Department has requested the White House seek more than $200 billion from Congress for the war with Iran, Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed at a press conference on Thursday.

"It takes a lot of money to kill bad guys," Hegseth said. "So, we're going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we're properly funded for what's been done for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition... everything's refilled and not just refilled, but above and beyond."

Hegseth also said that the top line request could change as the Pentagon assesses its needs. 

The secretary's comments follow reporting from  the Washington Post that the Pentagon had requested the supplemental funds to cover costs associated with Operation Epic Fury against Iran and to urgently increase production of critical weaponry that has been used as U.S. and Israeli forces have struck thousands of targets in the Middle East over the past three weeks.

While Democrats have been critical of the Iran war, Republicans have signaled support for the forthcoming supplemental request. However, the GOP hasn’t committed to a legislative strategy for getting a request passed, or found a clear path to reach the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.

According to multiple unnamed officials, the cost of the Iran war exceeded $11 billion in the first week, the Washington Post reported. 

Shortly after the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began, Deputy Defense Secretary Steven Feinberg's office put together a range of funding package proposals to quickly address the Pentagon’s munitions shortage, one anonymous source said.