The US Department of Defense has asked Congress for an additional $80 billion to cover costs related to the Iran war and other military expenses, Pentagon Deputy Secretary Stephen Feinberg informed lawmakers by phone this week between June 15 and 18 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
The supplemental funds will cover the estimated $25 billion to $29 billion direct cost of the Iran war as of May 2026, ammunition procurement, personnel salaries, naval operations, and non-war items such as increased troop deployments to the US-Mexico border [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8]. The Pentagon's base fiscal year 2026 budget is about $1 trillion [2, 3, 6].
The Iran conflict began on February 28, 2026, when the US and Israel jointly launched military action against Iran, sparking regional instability including disruption in the Strait of Hormuz shipping lanes [4, 8]. Pentagon officials warn that if Congress does not approve new wartime spending legislation, funding shortages could occur as soon as summer 2026. This may force cuts to military training, exercises, and other priority programs [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].
Some Republican and Democratic lawmakers criticize the administration for not securing explicit Congressional authorization for the Iran war before seeking funding, calling the previous Trump administration war spending constitutionally questionable [2, 3, 5, 6]. Democratic lawmakers also say the official Pentagon war cost estimate understates the total damage and indirect expenses caused by Iran [4, 5, 8]. Senator Chris Murphy noted, "參院不會有60票支持這項追加預算案。這是目前的真實現狀，且短期內不會改變。" (The Senate will not have 60 votes to support this supplemental budget, and that is the current reality unlikely to change soon) [6].
Pentagon Secretary Hegseth recently met senior Republican senators to discuss the possible additional funding [2, 3, 6]. The Pentagon says the rising spending pressure is driven not only by the Iran war but also military operations in Venezuela and anti-drug missions in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific [2, 3].
The full supplemental budget proposal is expected to be formally submitted to Congress within days after June 18 [2, 3, 6].
