Government Spending

How Will Congress Fund a $300 Billion War With Iran?

Lawmakers used to offset its emergency spending. They don't anymore.

Veronique de Rugy | 3.26.2026 5:50 PM

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(Adani Samat/Midjourney)

Whatever you think of the war in Iran, there's a separate question—independent of the military merits—that Congress must answer: How will it be paid for?

The Pentagon has requested $200 billion to fund the campaign. While circumstances could change the price tag, interest payments on that much debt would add $87 billion over 10 years. So that's roughly $300 billion.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asked about this number, offered a memorable contribution to the fiscal debate: "Obviously, it takes money to kill bad guys." That's true. It's also true that the money must come from somewhere.

And with total U.S. government debt now at $39 trillion (up from $36.5 trillion in January 2025) and cumulative budget deficits totaling $25 trillion over 10 years, that somewhere can't be Uncle Sam's credit card. Congress must offset the spending with budget reductions elsewhere, regardless of which of two main funding options it chooses.

The first option is to include the war spending in a supplemental appropriations bill. That's a standalone spending........

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