Iran war has cost the US more than $38B, budget office says
[September 16, 2026]
By LISA MASCARO
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. war against Iran has cost the Department of
Defense more than $38 billion through Aug. 1, and will continue costing
up to $3 billion a month or more depending on the intensity of the
conflict, according to an assessment released Tuesday by the nonpartisan
Congressional Budget Office.
CBO said the war is expected to contribute to inflation into the first
quarter of 2027, making inflation roughly 0.5 percentage points higher
than they had previously estimated. That's driven largely by the
reduction of oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz
and disruptions to shipping through the Red Sea.
The estimate, prepared in response to a request for information from the
top Democrat on the House Budget committee, Rep. Brendan Boyle, largely
aligns with a previous estimate from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who
pinned the costs at $37.5 billion, according to his Senate testimony.
The estimates come largely from replacing munitions and equipment lost
in battle, the CBO said, and do not include costs related to U.S.
military personnel killed or injured in the conflict or longer term
veterans’ healthcare and disability compensation.
Boyle said that beyond with the war's human toll, “this nonpartisan CBO
report makes clear that the war has also cost American taxpayers tens of
billions of dollars and counting, while continuing to drive up costs.”
“Donald Trump and Republicans have spent years telling Americans that we
cannot afford to help families here at home,” Boyle said in a statement,
"but apparently they can find tens of billions of dollars, and
potentially much more, for a reckless war that is leaving Americans to
pay the price.”
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The Pentagon is seen from the air, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, in
Washington (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
The findings come as voters eye the war and high prices heading
toward the midterm elections that will determine control of
Congress, where Republicans now hold majority power in the House and
Senate. The war, which started Feb. 28, is now in its seventh month,
with no signs of a quick end to the on-off conflict.
The White House made a request for $87.6 billion in supplemental
funding in June, largely for the war effort, but Congress has not
approved it. CBO said the portion of that request that appears to be
directly related to the conflict, $42.3 billion, is about 10% larger
than CBO’s estimate of DoD’s costs.
The Defense Department declined to respond to CBO's request for
information for its report, which was a break from norms. The budget
office said it relied on government databases and public reports,
and as a result, its estimates “are subject to considerable
uncertainty.”
A Pentagon inspector general report Monday said the war has resulted
in “strategic inventory shortfalls.”
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