$200b funding request for Trump’s Iran war faces stiff opposition in Congress

Summary

• The Department of Defence seeks White House approval for a $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran, which has already cost $11 billion in six days.
• Congress members, including Republicans, express concern about the cost, with Democrats like Pramila Jayapal calling it "absolutely ridiculous" and Chris Van Hollen advocating for defunding.
• The war, launched in February 2027, faces opposition due to its high cost, impact on social programs, and low public support, with only 25% of Americans backing it.

WASHINGTON - The US military’s request for US$200 billion (S$255 billion) in additional funding for the Iran war met with stiff opposition in the US Congress on March 19, as Democrats and even some Republicans questioned the need for the money after large defence appropriations in 2025.

A US official confirmed a Washington Post report that the Department of Defence has asked the White House to approve a more than US$200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran.

President Donald Trump has not yet sent a request for the Senate and House of Representatives to approve the huge sum and his administration made clear the number could change.

“I think that number could move, obviously. It takes money to kill bad guys,” Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told a news conference on March 19. “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.”

Early indications suggest that the war will be the most expensive for the US since the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Administration officials told lawmakers that the first six days of the Iran war had cost more than US$11 billion.

Opinion polls show that the war is not popular, with only about one in four Americans supporting it.

The Republican-led Congress has already approved record funding for the military since Mr Trump began his second term in January 2025. In February, he signed into law the Fiscal 2026 Defence Appropriations Act with about US$840 billion in funding.

And last summer, over stiff opposition from Democrats, the Republican-led Congress passed a sweeping tax cut and spending Bill that included US$156 billion for defence.

Democrats questioned why the Pentagon needed more money, given recent cuts to social services, foreign aid and other programmes, and said that no one who opposes the war should vote to fund it.

Congress wants more information

US and Israeli forces launched the campaign against Iran on Feb 28.

As the war neared the end of its third week, lawmakers, both Democrats and some Republicans, have clamored for more information about Mr Trump’s plans for a conflict that has killed thousands of people, disrupted the lives of millions of others and roiled world energy and stock markets.

“We just heard that the Pentagon is putting forward a request for US$200 billion more for this war. How on Earth are we going to pay for that? It is absolutely ridiculous,” Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington said in a speech in the House of Representatives.

After receiving briefings from administration officials, lawmakers estimated the war is costing US$1 billion to US$2 billion a day.

Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said the request should be a non-starter with members of Congress. “The best way to end this war, protect our troops, save civilian lives, and rein in a lawless Administration is to cut off funding. I’m a hell no,” he wrote on X.

Some of Mr Trump’s fellow Republicans also seemed surprised at the amount being considered.

Republican Senator Susan Collins, who chairs the Appropriations Committee, told reporters at the Capitol on March 18 she had not yet been notified about a US$200 billion supplemental request.

She said the total is “considerably higher than I would have guessed, but I don’t know how it’s broken down.”

Ms Collins also said she would most likely want a public hearing on such a request. REUTERS