May 28, 2026

Warren, Merkley, Schumer, Lawmakers Urge Nonpartisan Congressional Scorekeeper to Determine True Cost of War in Iran

Trump administration has provided inconsistent and incomplete estimates that contradict external experts, raising questions about true cost of war

“The American people deserve to know the true costs of this conflict, and they deserve transparency and honesty when their government commits the nation to war.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, along with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), led a coalition of lawmakers in urging the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to determine the true cost of war in Iran and set the record straight regarding inaccurate and incomplete estimates provided by the Trump administration.

Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined in signing the letter.

“The American people deserve to know the true costs of this conflict, and they deserve transparency and honesty when their government commits the nation to war,” wrote the senators.

On April 29, two months into the war, Acting Comptroller of the Department of Defense (DOD) Jay Hurst testified before Congress that the cost of Operation Epic Fury would be about $25 billion. Weeks later, he revised that estimate to be about $29 billion.

But independent analysts and investigative journalists have produced estimates that are significantly higher, raising concerns that the administration has not been fully truthful or transparent with the American public. Some Republican lawmakers reportedly heard estimates that the Pentagon is spending as much as $2 billion a day on the war, roughly quadruple the initial estimate that Hurst gave to Congress.

According to public reports, the estimates provided to Congress “did not fully account for damaged or destroyed equipment or U.S. military installations damaged,” with the real cost coming in closer to “$40-50 billion when accounting for the costs of rebuilding U.S. military installations and replacing destroyed assets,” including “extensive damage” to U.S. bases in the Middle East.

Even conservative experts, including President Trump’s former DOD deputy comptroller Elaine McCusker, estimated the cost to be as high as $35 billion at the time of the April 7 ceasefire. When accounting for operations, munitions, equipment losses, and U.S. military aid, other analysts have estimated the war’s cost to be as high as $72 billion in just the first 60 days. These figures could be even higher with indirect costs, when accounting for higher energy prices and long-term care for veterans.

“It is essential that Congress and the American public receive accurate, comprehensive estimates of the costs of the war in Iran,” wrote the lawmakers.

The senators’ letter comes as the Trump administration intends to request as much as $200 billion in additional funding for the war in Iran—in addition to its unprecedented $1.5 trillion defense budget request it recently submitted to Congress.

“[CBO’s] timely and comprehensive estimate of the immediate and long-term budgetary consequences will help ensure that the Iran war remains subject to rigorous and appropriate legislative oversight,” the senators concluded.

Senator Warren has fought to hold the Trump administration accountable for waging an illegal war in
Iran:

  • On April 22, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.), pressed General Randall Reed, Commander of the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM), on the Trump administration’s failures in evacuating Americans from the Middle East at the start of President Trump’s illegal war in Iran.

  • On April 20, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.) and Van Hollen (D-Md.) led nine senators in opening a new investigation into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s role in weakening civilian harm prevention programs and the catastrophic civilian impacts of President Trump’s war in Iran.

  • On April 7, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) released a new video condemning President Trump’s threat to wipe out the “whole civilization” of Iran and called for Majority Leader Thune to bring the Senate back into session immediately to vote to stop Trump’s war.

  • On March 20, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, wrote to Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and other members of the Trump administration, raising concerns about the financial costs for American families from President Trump’s illegal and reckless war with Iran.

  • On March 20, 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) sounded the alarm about the Trump administration’s sidelining of the military’s Judge Advocate General Corps, who are responsible for providing independent legal advice to commanders. Senator Warren pressed the commanders of United States Northern Command and United States Southern Command about the impact the sidelining of JAGs has on civilian harm as the war against Iran continues.

  • On March 11, 2026, Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Van Hollen (D-Md.), Kaine (D-Va.), Schatz (D-Hawaii), Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and 41 colleagues pressed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for a full investigation on the airstrikes on a school in Minab, Iran, and other civilian casualties in the Trump administration’s war on Iran.

  • On March 12, 2026, at a hearing of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned the Director of the Congressional Budget Office on the financial implications of the Iran war, and highlighted that the enormous financial cost could instead be used to lower the cost of health care.

  • On March 5, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass) led the entire Massachusetts delegation in pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio to explain the Trump administration’s “complete failure” to evacuate U.S. citizens — including Massachusetts residents — from the Middle East following the administration’s starting a reckless war in Iran.

  • On March 3, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to call on Congress to end President Donald Trump’s reckless war in Iran and demand accountability.

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