The United States has spent an estimated $37.5 billion on military operations against Iran, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, a figure that has risen by nearly $8 billion since the last public estimate in May. Hegseth appeared alongside Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine to request an additional $67 billion in emergency supplemental funding, most of it destined for the conflict, as part of a broader $95 billion Republican budget package that also includes farm aid and voting law changes. The hearing, interrupted repeatedly by anti-war protesters, marked the first time the Pentagon leadership has publicly faced lawmakers since the collapse of a fragile ceasefire earlier this month and the resumption of daily strikes by both sides.

Viewed from the Pentagon, the funding is an urgent necessity to sustain military readiness, replenish depleted munitions, and accelerate production of high-demand weapons such as precision bombs, hypersonic missiles, and counter-drone systems. Hegseth attributed the scale of the request to what he described as “gross negligence and neglect” under the previous Biden administration, asserting that the Department of Defense is now being run “like a business” and requires a “generational investment” to modernise. He claimed that Iranian military capabilities have been degraded to their weakest point in decades, even as he acknowledged that Tehran retains the ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, where the U.S. has been conducting what he called a covert operation to escort vessels.

Democratic lawmakers on the committee pushed back sharply, characterising the conflict as a “war of choice” rather than a necessity and questioning the administration’s shifting justifications. Senator Patty Murray, the panel’s top Democrat, warned of “another forever war” and noted that President Donald Trump had declared a deal imminent more than forty times while now seeking tens of billions more. Senator Gary Peters called the strategy a “failure,” prompting Hegseth to accuse Democrats of “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and a lack of political courage. Several senators demanded to know why the Pentagon had not spent half of the $150 billion appropriated last year and why the request included items unrelated to Iran, such as voting law changes and farm assistance.

From the perspective of regional analysts, the escalating costs and political friction reflect a conflict that has defied early expectations of a swift resolution. The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on 28 February, has killed at least 17 American service members and wounded more than 400, with nearly 100 injuries reported since 7 July alone. Iran’s retaliatory attacks and its effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have driven up global oil prices and raised fears of a wider regional conflagration, as Iran-backed Houthi forces in Yemen threaten Red Sea shipping. The Pentagon’s own internal estimates, according to U.S. officials cited in the hearing, place the total cost of the war, including base repairs and full weapons replenishment, between $80 billion and $100 billion.

With midterm elections six months away, the funding request has become entangled in domestic politics. Republican leaders aim to pass the budget package through the reconciliation process, which would allow them to bypass Democratic opposition, but slim majorities mean any defections could stall the measure. The White House has urged Congress to approve the resolution “without modification—immediately.” The committee is expected to continue deliberations in the coming days, with a floor vote in the House of Representatives anticipated before the August recess.