Pentagon War Bill Hits $47.1 Billion as Congress Is Asked to Pay

The Pentagon put the Iran war’s bill to U.S. taxpayers at $47.1 billion as of Oct. 16, while the administration sought another $95 billion from lawmakers to fund the war and other priorities. The estimate, provided to Congress and obtained by The Associated Press, was $3.5 billion higher than the roughly $43.6 billion reported in early September. The conflict began in late February with U.S. and Israeli action. The bill keeps climbing; the people funding it get no direct say over military operations.

Who Controls the Spending

About $29 billion of the estimated cost went to replacing munitions, including defensive missile interceptors used by the Army’s Patriot and THAAD systems. A single Patriot interceptor costs millions of dollars. The Pentagon attributed about $11.9 billion to operations and another $6 billion to equipment losses. Those figures account for the state’s military spending, not the full damage: the estimate did not include damage to U.S. bases in the Middle East.

A Pentagon inspector general report released the previous month said Iranian strikes had damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan. The official cost tally therefore leaves out a substantial category of destruction at the bases, even as the public bill rises.

The military’s reported service-member toll was 21 killed and 865 wounded. That count included deaths from medical events and other situations not directly connected to the conflict; 18 service members were killed in Iranian strikes, combat aircraft crashes or the disposal of Iranian drones. Behind the budget categories are people killed and wounded, alongside equipment and buildings the government says it must replace.

The Election Box

The war’s growing cost and its effect on energy prices had become issues in the midterm elections. Voters were to decide which party would control Congress during President Donald Trump’s last two years in office. A recent AP-NORC poll found that most voters wanted Congress to prioritize ending the conflict. Yet Trump had left open the possibility of new strikes after the midterms and was sending additional military resources to the Middle East, despite initially promising a campaign lasting only weeks.

The administration sought passage of a proposed $1.5 trillion military budget and asked lawmakers to approve the separate $95 billion package. Democrats tried to end the war through legislation, but the effort failed in the Republican-controlled Congress. The account describes legislative campaigning, not a grassroots or mutual-aid response; the available route for opposing the war is being fought inside the same institution that controls the purse and failed to pass the measure.

More Troops, More Money

A third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops were heading to the region. The administration had also reduced staffing at some U.S. embassies after receiving intelligence that Iran had increased efforts to target American personnel. Meanwhile, Trump had repeatedly weighed whether to make a deal with Iran or “finish them off.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said, “Trump and his ego led us into this war with no plan, no authority, and no exit strategy.” He added, “Senate Democrats will continue to do everything in our power to end this disaster of a war and stop the costs, chaos, and corruption seeping from the White House.” Congress has been asked for more money as the military buildup continues. The latest estimate is already $47.1 billion.