Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. (Getty)
Nearly the entire Senate Democratic Caucus sent a letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth demanding a detailed accounting of the cost of the war with Iran.
The letter, led by Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, says the Pentagon has failed to provide Americans with basic information about the war and how much it will cost taxpayers.
“American taxpayers have already paid an extra $100 billion out of their pockets for higher gas and diesel prices alone and at least another $60 billion in higher costs for things like groceries, mortgages, and plane tickets as a result of the war,” the Democrats wrote.
“Now you are asking that they pay again to fund a war of choice that Congress never authorized and the President launched with no strategic plan,” the letter added.
The Pentagon has identified about $42 billion in its supplemental request as directly related to the war, though the Democrats say that does not capture its full cost.
“In June, you formally asked the American taxpayers to foot the bill for a $67 billion Iran war supplemental request,” the Democrats wrote. “This is on top of the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 budget request. All of these pending requests come while the Department still has $34 billion in unspent funding from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.”
The Democrats assert that Hegseth has not adequately shared information about the war with Congress or the public.
“Despite asking for tens of billions of additional taxpayer dollars, you have so far failed to provide basic information on how this money has and will be spent,” the Democrats wrote. “Congress must have access to this information to carry out our oversight responsibilities.”
The senators are requesting that Hegseth provide by Sept. 30 a detailed breakdown of the cost of the war, a breakdown of the Pentagon’s $67 billion supplemental funding request and a detailed accounting of how the $34 billion remaining from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be spent.
“The American people elected us to be responsible stewards of their tax dollars,” the Democrats wrote. “The information we are requesting is the bare minimum required for us to carry out that responsibility.”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who supports U.S. military involvement in Iran, was the only Senate Democrat who did not sign the letter.
“My record has been consistent. I’ve always been at odds with my fellow Democrats over how we hold Iran accountable,” Fetterman said in a statement to Politico. “I’ll continue to remain an unapologetic supporter of efforts to confront the Iranian regime and its proxies.”
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