U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens to questions during a press conference at the Pentagon, March 2, 2026. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – The cost of the Iran war has risen to $29 billion to date, Pentagon officials told lawmakers in both chambers on Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine and Acting Defense Department Comptroller Jules Hurst faced questions from House and Senate appointees during their several hours of testimony about the administration’s Pentagon budget request and the direction of U.S. operations in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz.
The hearings began just as the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest information Inflation figures It showed that skyrocketing fuel costs drove overall inflation to its highest level since 2023.
Rep. Betty McCollum, the top Democrat on the House defense budget subcommittee, said she remains skeptical of the Pentagon’s spending because it lacks “adequate transparency as gas prices rise and inflation numbers rise.”
“The American people just want to afford the basic necessities of daily life, but this administration is doing nothing to help them with the cost of living crisis,” the Minnesota lawmaker said.
inflation
Similarly, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee and serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said “vague platitudes do not help this committee make critical judgments.”
“And the trade-offs are significant. The deficit is increasing dramatically. We have to be aware of that. We also have to be aware that we are helping American families make ends meet, and inflation just hit 3.8% today,” Reed said.
According to the Labor Department, the most recent consumer price index reached 3.8% a year ago, up from 3.3% the previous month.
Fuel and energy costs were largely responsible for the rise in inflation, with gasoline rising 28.4% year-on-year.
oil and Gasoline prices have skyrocketed since the USA and Israel decided to attack Iran on February 28th. The protracted conflict has led to a near standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, a key sea route off the Iranian coast that transported a fifth of the world’s oil before the war.
“It comes with costs”
Senate Budget Committee Vice Chairwoman Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., questioned the Pentagon’s estimate that the war cost $29 billion, calling it “suspiciously low.”
When asked, Hurst said the figure did not take into account the cost of damage to US military bases in the Middle East. Iran launched retaliatory strikes against several American facilities in the region in March, including an attack on a base in Kuwait that killed six US soldiers.
“Your acting comptroller has suggested that damage to U.S. facilities was not included in that number,” Murray told Hegseth. “It is clear that there has been significant damage to American military installations.”
The minister said he could not provide details of damage to U.S. assets.
“I think an important point is, considering what the president is doing, what is the cost of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon? And the fact that this president was willing to make a historic and bold decision to confront that, there is a cost. And we recognize that,” Hegseth said.
Congressional approval
Despite ongoing attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth told lawmakers that a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was still in effect.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, asked Hegseth whether he believes President Donald Trump will need congressional authorization to continue military activity against the Islamic Republic.
“The hostilities do not appear to have ended, and the question that arises for you is whether the administration has considered or intends to seek authorization from Congress for the use of military force?” she asked.
Hegseth responded: “Senator, we believe that we would have full authority should the president make the decision to return to office.”
Efforts to pass a War Powers Resolution to curb Trump’s military operations in Iran have begun failed multiple times in the Republican-led Senate and House of Representatives.
A vote on a is possible in the House of Representatives this week Bipartisan War Powers Resolution.
