Hegseth: Iran War Has Cost $37.5B as Pentagon Seeks $95B Military Budget

In a Senate hearing room on Tuesday, the weight of an ongoing war made itself felt in numbers: $37.5 billion spent, 17 lives lost, more than 100 wounded since early July. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth came before the Appropriations Committee not merely to request funding, but to account for a conflict that has grown costlier than earlier estimates acknowledged. As Republicans press a $95 billion budget package forward, Congress finds itself at the ancient crossroads where treasure and blood demand justification from those who ask for more of both.