The Pentagon is seeking 200 billion US dollars in additional funds from Congress for the Iran war. The department sent the request to the White House, according to a senior administration official. Asked about the figure at a press conference, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth did not directly confirm the amount, saying it could change. Hegseth said it takes money to kill bad guys.

 

It’s an extraordinarily high number and comes on top of extra funding the Defence Department already received last year in President Donald Trump’s big tax cuts bill. Such a request would need to be approved by Congress, and it is not at all clear that such spending would have political support. The nation’s debt has surged past a record 39 trillion dollars. Congress has been bracing for a new spending request but it is not clear the White House has transmitted the request for consideration. Lawmakers have not authorised the war, and Congress is showing growing unease with the military operation’s scope and strategy.