Scott Perry: ‘I would actually like to see Iran pay’ for war

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) suggested Friday that the Iranian regime should be the one to fulfill a $200 billion supplemental funding request from the Pentagon for its ongoing military operation, not Congress, arguing the country that “started the war” ought to foot the bill.

Perry raised the idea during an appearance on CNN’s “The Source,” as host Kaitlan Collins questioned him about whether he was in favor of giving the Trump administration additional money for its war effort.

“I would actually like to see Iran pay for this, whether it’s $20 billion or $200 billion, whatever it is,” he told Collins. “Look, they’ve been at war with us for 47 years, and it’s finally being ended by the president, which is awesome, but it comes at a cost.”

“And they have resources. They have been siphoning those resources away from their population for those four and a half, five decades,” he continued. “And certainly they could pay that bill pretty quickly once things get up and running and the ayatollah’s no longer in charge.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth contended during a briefing earlier Thursday that additional funding was necessary because it “takes money to kill the bad guys.” President Trump later told reporters it was a “small price to pay,” adding the administration was seeking the funds “for a lot of reasons beyond” Iran.

“This is a very volatile world. … We want to have vast amounts of ammunition,” Trump said at the White House. “It’s a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy-top.”

The price tag for the war in Iran is ballooning as the conflict nears its fourth week, costing an estimated $1 billion a day, according to some reports.  

The Pentagon previously estimated that the first six days of the U.S. operation cost more than $11.3 billion.  

Several Democrats quickly rejected the ask for additional funds this week, claiming it signaled Trump’s intention to pursue a longer war. The president has vacillated on the duration of the war since the initial strikes on Feb. 28, even as he repeatedly insists it is nearing an end.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have indicated that they are awaiting additional details from the White House and Pentagon before deciding.

The request also highlighted a growing rift among Republicans, with some lawmakers in the right flank of the party accusing the Trump administration of abandoning its “America First” policy.

“I’ve already told leadership, ‘I am a no on any war supplementals,’” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) told CNN’s Manu Raju outside the Capitol on Thursday. “I am so tired of spending money elsewhere. I am tired of the industrial war complex getting all of our hard-earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who can’t afford to live.”

“We need America First policies now, and that — I’m not doing that,” she added.

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