Defense secretary updates Senate on $87.6 billion funding request for Iran war

The defense secretary told a Senate committee that the Iran war has cost $37.5 billion through the current date. The White House has requested an additional $67 billion for the conflict within an $87.6 billion supplemental funding bill.

The defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff appeared before the Senate Appropriations Committee along with the agriculture secretary. The hearing lasted more than three and a half hours. The committee chairperson described the requested funds as critical to national security.

The committee vice-chairperson said the administration went to war without congressional approval and called the cost catastrophic. " Lawmakers exchanged heated remarks during questioning, including one exchange that ended the hearing.

The president posted on social media during the hearing comparing U.S. personnel deaths in the Iran conflict to those in previous wars.