Clouds of smoke rise after an explosion on March 5, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. The death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was confirmed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Iran responded by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – The top Democrat on the U.S. House Budget Committee sent a letter Thursday to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office asking its experts to determine how much the war in Iran might cost.
“The Constitution grants Congress both the power of the purse and the responsibility to declare war,” wrote Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle. “A timely and comprehensive estimate from CBO will assist Congress in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities.
“Congress should ensure that we spend taxpayer dollars to improve the quality of life for the American people, not pay for another endless war in the Middle East.”
Boyle asked the CBO to detail how much the war would cost “under various scenarios, including scenarios in which the war lasts longer than four to five weeks and U.S. troops are stationed on the ground in Iran.”
He called on the CBO to also address possible unintended costs of the war, such as how “relocating an aircraft carrier from near Taiwan to the coast of Iran would affect the United States’ response to possible Chinese aggression.”
And Boyle asked the CBO to detail how the war in Iran could affect prices in the United States.
The Trump administration has not publicly disclosed how much it has spent on the war or what the expected total cost of the so-called Operation Epic Fury will be. A Department of Defense spokesman, when asked about the cost, told the State newsroom that they “have nothing to say at this time.”
President Donald Trump said during an afternoon appearance at the White House that Iranian leaders had called to try to negotiate an end to the war, but did not say whether he would begin talks.
“They call. They ask, ‘How do we make a deal?’ I said you’re a little late,” Trump said. “And we want to fight more than they do now.”
Six US soldiers killed
Trump started the war On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several other senior officials in that country’s government were killed. The US and Israeli militaries continued bombing in the days that followed.
Iran’s retaliation has resulted in the deaths of six U.S. soldiers so far, and senior Defense Department officials expect more casualties in the coming days and weeks.
Trump said he expects the war could last between four and six weeks or longer. He has not ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Iran, despite several Republican lawmakers leaving classified briefings earlier this week Say “boots on the ground.” would be a step too far.
Congress has neither authorized the employ of military force nor declared war on Iran. Both Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-La., said they believe Trump’s actions are within his authority as commander in chief.
Democrats and some Republicans tried unsuccessfully to withdraw U.S. troops this week Forcing floor votes to War Powers resolutions that would have directed Trump to “withdraw the armed forces of the United States from hostilities within or against Iran unless expressly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for the use of military force.”
Republicans in the House and Senate largely voted against the decisions.
Trump expected to ask Congress for more money for the Iran war
Congress approved $838.7 billion for the Defense Department in January as part of its annual government funding process. Republicans approved an additional $150 billion in their “big, beautiful” 2025 bill for the Pentagon to spend on specific programs such as air and missile defense and shipbuilding.
But several Republican lawmakers said this week they expect the Trump administration to send a supplemental spending request to Capitol Hill in the coming weeks to boost the military’s coffers.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined Wednesday to say whether Trump will ask lawmakers for more funding for the Iran war, but did not rule it out.
“I don’t have any updates for you on congressional requests from the president,” Leavitt said.
Any request for additional spending would have to pass the House and go through the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster to become law.
This would require the support of at least seven Democrats in the upper house if all 53 Republican senators vote to advance an emergency war spending bill.
