Pentagon Claims It Needs Additional $200 Billion to Pay for War on Iran

[OKIsItJustMe]

https://theintercept.com/2026/03/19/pentagon-budget-iran-war-hegseth/

“Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys,” said Pete Hegseth, when asked about the funding request.

Nick Turse
March 19 2026, 1:52 p.m.

The Pentagon wants $200 billion in supplemental funds to pay for its war on Iran, a defense official told The Intercept. That sum is four times the amount originally floated by Pentagon officials. War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that number could even increase.

The request for the additional $200 billion has been sent to the White House, which normally reviews requests before they go to Congress, according to the defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak freely about the pending proposal. The $200 billion ask, first reported by the Washington Post, is in addition to a record-setting $1.5 trillion War Department budget request for 2027.

“Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said when asked about the request during a press conference on Thursday. “As far as the $200 billion, I think that number could move.”

Hegseth spoke only in terms of immediate costs of the war. “We’re going back to Congress and 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 is everything’s refilled, and not just refilled but above and beyond,” he explained.

…

[Attilatheblond]

1. Tell 'em to have Trump write a check

On his personal account. Pretty good odds the money in his account actually belongs to us anyway.

And tell Hegseth to buy his own groceries.

[ChicagoTeamster]

2. Tell Trump and Kushner to use the money they got from the Saudis, UAE, and Qatar.

[MustLoveBeagles]

3. But we can't afford health care for Americans

[joshdawg]

4. Fuck hegseth and trump and graham......

oh,hell, just fuck'em all, every last one of the right wing cowards.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. Trump's War on Iran Could Cost Trillions

https://theintercept.com/2026/03/17/trump-iran-war-cost/

“My kids’ kids, and probably their kids, are going to be paying for this,” said one official briefed on the U.S war on Iran.

Nick Turse
March 17 2026, 12:12 p.m.

The Trump administration is drastically undercounting the price tag of the U.S. war with Iran, peddling fragmentary estimates that offer Americans a skewed understanding of the costs.

The Pentagon on Thursday said the U.S. spent about $11.3 billion in just one week of its war on Iran; Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett similarly put the figure at $12 billion on Sunday.

But these sums are dwarfed by estimates offered by experts in the costs of war, lawmakers experienced with the Pentagon budget, and two government officials briefed on Operation Epic Fury who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

At the very least, they say the war is burning through between $1 billion and $2 billion per day — or roughly $11,500 to $23,000 per second. The cost, the officials told The Intercept, could rise to a quarter trillion dollars or more over the coming months.

…

[Stargazer99]

6. Let the billionaires pay for it