Pentagon Requests Huge Budget for Iran War, Democrats Push Back
United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth revealed that Washington has spent approximately US$37.5 billion, or around Rp671 trillion, on military operations against Iran over the past five months.
Hegseth made the statement during a Senate hearing on the Pentagon’s supplementary budget request on Tuesday (21/7).
On that occasion, he also confirmed that the Department of Defense had submitted an additional budget request to support renewed military operations after the conflict with Iran escalated over roughly the past ten days.
This came despite the United States and Iran previously agreeing to a ceasefire and signing a memorandum of understanding intended as a step towards resolving the conflict.
“The estimate we have as of today is US$37.5 billion (Rp671 trillion),” Hegseth said when asked about the total cost of the war against Iran.
He explained that the Pentagon is now requesting an additional US$67 billion, or approximately Rp1,199 trillion, to support subsequent military operational needs.
In his remarks, Hegseth claimed that US military operations had dealt a significant blow to Iran’s combat capabilities.
According to him, Iran is currently at its weakest point militarily in the past decade, and possibly in its weakest condition in 47 years. He also stated that thousands of Iranian ballistic missiles had been destroyed during the operations.
When asked about Iran’s remaining ability to control and blockade the Strait of Hormuz, Hegseth asserted that the United States remains capable of conducting logistical operations in the region.
“We do it quietly, because that is far more effective than doing it openly. We have been controlling the movement of traffic there for quite some time,” he added.
He also touched on the earlier collapse of the ceasefire. “We had a ceasefire, but then they attacked commercial shipping,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s additional budget request has been rejected by Democratic Party members of the Senate.
Democratic senators consider the conflict a ‘war of choice’ — a war chosen for political reasons — rather than a ‘war of necessity’, one genuinely driven by urgent need.
They also questioned the consistency of the administration’s statements regarding developments in military operations in Iran. Citing Al Jazeera on Wednesday (22/7), Senator Jon Ossoff questioned why the government was requesting additional funds after previously stating that Iran’s military capability had already been significantly weakened.
Furthermore, a number of Democratic senators believe the funds would be better allocated to domestic needs, such as childcare services, healthcare, and energy subsidies for the public.
The debate over the additional budget reflects growing criticism of US military involvement in the Middle East.
Amid rising war costs and mounting casualties among US military personnel, public support for continuing military operations is considered limited. Even among President Donald Trump’s supporters, many have questioned the policy.
During the election campaign, Trump won broad support from voters who hoped his administration would avoid or end American involvement in foreign conflicts.
As a result, the government’s move to once again expand military operations against Iran is seen by some as contradicting the expectations previously conveyed to voters.