U.S. Defense Department Requests $80 Billion in Emergency Funding, Citing Depleted Budget from Iran Conflict

The U.S. Department of Defense has reportedly requested $80 billion in emergency supplemental funding from Congress, warning that its operational budget is nearing depletion due to the fallout from the war with Iran.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on June 18 (local time), citing anonymous sources, that Deputy Secretary of Defense Stephen Feinberg informed lawmakers during phone calls this week that the additional $80 billion is necessary to cover costs, including those related to the Iran conflict.

Senior Pentagon officials warned that if Congress fails to pass a new wartime spending bill to support the additional expenditure, operational funds could begin to run dry as early as this summer.

They explained that the war with Iran and the deployment of troops to the U.S. southern border have put military training and other priority projects at risk of being scaled back.

A Pentagon official stated that a portion of the secured funds would be used for ship operations, military personnel salaries, and the procurement of ammunition.

Deputy Secretary Feinberg is said to have briefed several lawmakers on these details over the past few days.

The U.S. Department of Defense's previously finalized budget for the 2026 fiscal year was approximately $1 trillion.

The WSJ pointed out that the U.S. military has been struggling with surging costs as the Trump administration has engaged in multiple large-scale military operations, ranging from the operation to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to the war with Iran.

In May, the Pentagon reported to Congress that the cost of the war with Iran over the 10 weeks following the start of hostilities on February 28 had reached $29 billion.

At the time, it was noted that the actual cost of the war might have been understated, as the figure did not reflect damages to U.S. military bases in the Middle East.

The amount newly requested by the Pentagon from Congress far exceeds that previous estimate.

The Trump administration has been conducting the war with Iran, which has required significant funding, without congressional approval.

Given that the opposition Democratic Party has characterized the Iran war as illegal, citing concerns over "bypassing Congress," it is expected that they will likely react negatively to the Pentagon's request for additional funding.

In the U.S. Senate, most bills typically require 60 votes to pass.

Therefore, with the Republican Party holding a slim majority of 53 out of 100 seats, the new wartime spending bill requested by the Pentagon will require the support of some Democratic senators to pass.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) stated, "They have made zero effort to share information with Congress," adding, "There are not 60 votes in the Senate for supplemental funding."

On the other hand, voices within the ruling Republican Party are calling for additional budget support to ensure the military has the minimum resources required.

Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on June 16, said, "The cupboard is pretty bare," and added, "We need to make sure that we are replenishing."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.