Lawmakers Are Surprised by ‘Staggering’ $200 Billion Funding Request for the Iran War

Lawmakers in both parties said Thursday they were surprised by reports that the Pentagon wants $200 billion for its war with Iran — and they need far more details before they decide whether to back it.

The Pentagon is seeking $200 billion in additional funds tied to the Iran war effort, according to reports from The Washington Post and the Associated Press. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear the administration is ready to spend heavily on a war with no quick end in sight.

“As far as the $200 billion, I think that number could move,” Hegseth told reporters during a Thursday morning briefing at the Pentagon when asked about the $200 billion request.

“It takes money to kill bad guys, 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 is refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond,” Hegseth said.

The money is expected to cover things like munitions replenishment and other military needs, but the size of the request, combined with the lack of detail, has left many members in a wait-and-see posture.

“I need to know what I’m funding so I can make that determination. I don’t know any of those things,” Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Thursday that Congress has not yet received an official request for the funds.

“This is all preliminary,” Thune said. “We haven’t seen any details about anything like that yet. We will evaluate it when it comes.”

Several lawmakers said the number was larger than they expected.

“I’d have to see what it’s for and how it’s broken down,” Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins said. “It’s considerably higher than I would have guessed, but I don’t know how it’s broken down.”

“I mean, I don’t know whether that $200 billion that we’re hearing is just for DOD, or whether there’s money in there for agriculture disaster assistance, to cover the Pell Grant shortfall — maybe a broader supplemental,” she added. “I just don’t know.”

Republican Sen. Shelley Moore Capito told NOTUS she expected the Pentagon to seek more funding for the war but said she was “surprised” by the size of the reported request.

“It was twice what I thought it was going to be,” Capito said, adding that lawmakers still need to know more about what the money is for and how long it is meant to cover.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin, who’s also on the Appropriations Committee, had previously said he’d be open to voting for supplemental funding to ensure Americans’ safety on the ground. Durbin told NOTUS on Thursday that the request is out of the question.

“We couldn’t even get the Republicans yesterday to agree to public hearings on the war, on the invasion in Iran,” Durbin said. “Now they come with a price tag of $200 billion — they’re not only ignoring the Constitution, it’s an affront to the American people.”

Sen. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense who previously said he was open to further funding, also balked at the size of the request.

“That is a staggering amount of money,” Coons told NOTUS. “And suggests that they are preparing for a longer, broader and more costly war than we’ve ever been briefed on, or that is justified.”

Reuters reported Wednesday that the administration is weighing sending thousands of additional troops to the Middle East and possibly conducting limited ground operations along Iran’s coast, though no decision has been finalized.

Rep. Thomas Massie, who opposed the war early on and co-sponsored a failed war powers resolution to limit further action there without congressional approval, said on Wednesday that he was open to supporting a supplemental. But the scale of the expected $200 billion request appeared to give him pause.

“When I know how long they plan to be there, that’s a big number,” Massie told NOTUS Thursday.

“Is it the first of several $200 billion supplementals? It begs a lot of questions,” Massie said. “They gotta give us a briefing and tell us what it’s for.”

While Republicans generally expressed support for supplemental funding, many said they need to get more information.

“I’ve always expected it would be very robust,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole said. Still, he added, “I’m going to wait and see what they’ve got.”

Rep. Ken Calvert, who chairs the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, also said he has not yet reviewed the request.

Rep. Andy Ogles said a lot of members, including himself, “will have questions” about the funding request.

“The White House will come and they’ll make the case and prove why they need it,” Ogles said. He added that he wants to know “what’s the course going forward, and how do we get to resolution?”

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said members want “a breakdown,” asking: “What exactly is it for? How long is it good for?” He added that “there should be hearings on, a lot of robust hearings.”

However, some GOP hawks signaled they are comfortable with the scale of the ask.

When told the request would be for $200 billion, House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers replied: “I like big numbers.”

Rep. Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, was staunchly supportive: “If it destroys the Iranian regime. It’s money well spent.”

It is unclear how the funding would move through Congress, with lawmakers still weighing whether it would be part of a reconciliation bill or handled as a stand-alone supplemental request.