Patty Murray Presses Pentagon Over Iran War Cost Estimate Rising To $29 Billion

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during a hearing before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee over the Pentagon’s cost estimate for the war on Iran, after Pentagon comptroller Jules Hurst told lawmakers the cost had risen to $29 billion.

“United States consumer prices have risen for the second consecutive month, marking the biggest annual increase in almost three years, as energy prices surged on the back of the US-Israel war on Iran”

Al Jazeera

Murray said it seemed "quite clear" the new estimate "is suspiciously low" and argued that damage to U.S. facilities was not factored into the figure, while Hegseth did not provide a figure when asked the cost of that damage.

Al Jazeera

Hegseth instead responded by asking what the cost is of "Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon," and he said the president’s approach is a "historic and courageous choice" that "comes with cost."

The hearing unfolded as Hegseth and Caine appeared to testify on Trump’s 2027 budget request to increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion, with Senate lawmakers questioning funding priorities, global military alliances, and impacts of the Iran war including on U.S. weapon stockpiles.

As he prepared to leave Washington, D.C. for Beijing for a one-on-one meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, President Donald Trump was asked on the White House South Lawn whether Americans’ financial situations were motivating him to make a deal with Iran.

Trump replied "Not even a little bit," and said, "The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran—they can’t have a nuclear weapon."

Council on Foreign Relations

The White House and economists framed the price pressure as tied to the war’s energy impacts, with Al Jazeera citing U.S. consumer prices rising 0.6 percent in April after a 0.9 percent increase in March, and an annual jump of 3.8 percent.

Al Jazeera also reported that the average price for a gallon of petrol was $4.50, and it quoted Bernard Yaros saying the "passthrough of higher energy costs to non-energy prices was most apparent in airfares" as airlines raised jet fuel costs.

The cost-of-living pressure is being quantified alongside the war’s broader economic effects, with Al Jazeera reporting energy prices surged by 17.9 percent over the last 12 months and petrol prices rose by 28.4 percent compared to this time last year.

“Trump Says Iran “Will 100% Stop Enriching Uranium” as Pentagon Raises War Cost to $29 Billion White House maintains pressure strategy while political debate over war spending intensifies in Washington ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - U”

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The Independent reported that Trump’s remarks came as the Consumer Price Index spiked 3.8 percent from the same point last year and as gasoline prices surged by 5.4 percent last month alone, amid the Strait of Hormuz standoff.

In that same coverage, Trump said, "I don't think about American financial situation — I don't think about anybody," and he tied the argument to his stated objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

The political and economic stakes are also reflected in the PBS report that a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll found 6 in 10 Americans disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling his war in Iran, while lawmakers continued questioning the defense leaders about the impacts on U.S. weapon stockpiles.