Hegseth says potential $200 billion Iran war spending request could shift: 'Takes money to kill bad guys'

Source: CNBC

Published Thu, Mar 19 2026 8:44 AM EDT Updated Min Ago


Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that the Pentagon’s reported $200 billion budget request for Iran war funding “could move.” “It takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said at a press briefing when asked to confirm the figure, which The Washington Post first reported Wednesday evening. “We’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded,” Hegseth said. MS NOW, citing two congressional officials, reported earlier Thursday morning that a funding request of up to $200 billion has been informally floated by the Trump administration, though no official request has yet been made.

The figure “has been discussed informally by administration officials,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told MS NOW in a phone interview. U.S. military operations against Iran, which began Feb. 28, have already cost $12 billion as of Sunday, according to Kevin Hassett, director of President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council. U.S. military operations against Iran, which began Feb. 28, have already cost $12 billion as of Sunday, according to Kevin Hassett, director of President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council.

Hassett, speaking on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” said at that time that he did not think the U.S. needed to ask Congress for more money for the war effort “right now.” The Post’s report, citing a senior administration official, said that the Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the intensifying war effort.

The massive figure would increase production of the critical munitions that the U.S. and Israel have used to strike thousands of targets since the conflict began, three other people familiar with the matter told the Post. Hegseth said Thursday that the forthcoming request to Congress will ensure that the U.S. military is funded “for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future [and to] ensure that our ammunition is — everything’s refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond.”

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