WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to ask lawmakers for some $200 billion in supplemental funds to pay for operations in Iran and refill American munition stockpiles, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said today.
However that figure, first reported by The Washington Post, “could move,” he said.
“Obviously it takes… money to kill bad guys, so we’re going back to Congress and folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future, [to] ensure that our ammunition is … refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond,” the defense secretary told reporters in a briefing this morning.
Lawmakers have been awaiting a supplemental spending request designed to fund Operation Epic Fury, though previous reporting suggested the DoD would request around $50 billion, a quarter of the new potential ask. It is not clear if the supplemental funding will count towards the $1.5 trillion defense spending pledge by Trump administration for fiscal 2027, or if it will be additive.
“Our objectives [are] unchanged, on target and on plan,” Hegseth said.
That said, Hegseth did not disclose just how much of that possible $200 billion request was directly tied to operations inside Iran and how much would be needed to more generally boost US defense production. In his remarks, Hegseth took a shot at the Biden administration for sending weapons to Ukraine for its defense against Russia and said the Trump administration believes “these munitions are better spent in our own interests at this point.”
“An investment like this is meant to say, ‘Hey, we’ll replace anything that was spent,” Hegseth added. “And now that we’re reviving our defense industrial base and rebuilding the arsenal of freedom and cutting deals … [on] long-lead times on exquisite munitions, we’re going to be refilled faster than anyone imagined.”
Also not clear is the true cost of Operation Epic Fury as it enters week four this weekend. The Pentagon has not yet released a comprehensive cost breakdown, though officials have confirmed reports that the department spent $5.6 billion worth of munitions in the first few days. The Center for Strategic and International Studies has estimated $16.5 billion total price tag at the day 12 mark on things like manpower and damage to bases.
The expenditures include spent munitions, with Hegseth saying today that the US has now struck 7,000 targets across Iran. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that figure includes 120 maritime vessels and 44 minelayers.
“We’re flying further to the east now and penetrating deeper into Iranian airspace to hunt and kill one-way attack garrisons, destroying Iran’s ability to project power outside of its borders,” the-four star general said.