The US Defense Department will ask Congress to approve roughly $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran war and other expenses, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. President Donald Trump has faced backlash from Americans accusing him of pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into the Middle East conflict while oil prices and inflation skyrocket in the United States.
Pentagon's Urgent Request
Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg shared the request with lawmakers this week, the Journal said, citing people familiar with the discussions. Pentagon leaders have warned they risk running out of money for operations in the coming months unless Congress passes a new wartime spending bill, the newspaper reported. The military may need to cut back on training and troop deployment along the US-Mexico border as part of Trump's immigration crackdown, it added.
War Costs and Stockpile Concerns
The Pentagon said last month the cost of the war with Iran had climbed to nearly $29 billion, although Democrats and other critics of the war suggest the true cost—including damage inflicted by Iran—could be far higher. Concerns over the war straining US weapons stockpiles deepened last month after Acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao cited the conflict as a reason for pausing arms sales to Taiwan. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed the idea of a munitions crisis when asked in an interview.
Some of the $80 billion, if approved, would go towards munitions, personnel pay, and ship operations, the Journal cited a source as saying.
Regional Impact and Peace Efforts
The war, triggered by US-Israeli strikes on Tehran in late February, has engulfed the crude-rich Middle East and choked the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the world's oil supplies. A deal to end the war was under strain on Friday after fighting flared between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and talks in Switzerland were postponed.
