Senators demand answers on damage to U.S. military bases and facilities following classified briefing
“There is no rationale for classifying that cost estimate.”
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.) wrote to Admiral Brad Cooper, Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), urging the Department of Defense (DoD) to publicly disclose the costs of damage to U.S. military bases and facilities caused by Iranian attacks during the war. The letter follows a classified briefing in which Cooper provided senators with an estimate of the damage costs behind closed doors.
The letter comes amid mounting costs from the war, which has killed as many as 23 U.S. service members, wounded 861, and cost at least $42 billion. Despite reports of extensive damage to U.S. military bases and facilities across the Middle East, DoD has not publicly released an official estimate of the costs. Independent analysts estimate that damage to U.S. bases and infrastructure could exceed $30 billion and cost as much as $100 billion.
“The administration’s ongoing efforts to hide the true cost of this war are outrageous and unacceptable. DoD has repeatedly tried to cover up the truth about the number of service members hurt and killed since the war began and has not disclosed these deaths and injuries to the public in a timely manner,” wrote the senators.
During a recent classified briefing, Admiral Cooper provided information to the Senate Armed Services Committee on the estimated cost of the damage, but that figure is not available to the public.
“The American people deserve to know the full cost of the Trump administration’s unauthorized war against Iran. Even if DoD has not yet determined which facilities it is planning to rebuild, disclosing these costs represents the bare minimum transparency DoD owes the public,” continued the senators.
The senators also raised concerns about the impact of damaged facilities on military readiness and logistics, including the Navy’s relocation of its primary logistics hub following damage to its base in Bahrain.
“There is no rationale for classifying that cost estimate: our allies and our adversaries are, unfortunately, keenly aware of the extraordinary toll that this reckless war has taken on military readiness, and Congress and the public need this information to determine the steps necessary to recover from this debacle. If that cost estimate is classified, the Department should exercise its authority to declassify the costs,” continued the senators.
The senators requested answers by November 2, 2026, on the costs of damage to U.S. and allied bases and facilities, the cost of replacing damaged infrastructure, funding for repairs and relocated operations, and whether contractors have received new funds to carry out repairs.
Senator Warren has fought to hold the Trump administration accountable for waging an illegal war in Iran:
- On September 21, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) urged Armed Services Committee Chairmen Wicker and Rogers to hold public hearings on the fatal Port Shuaiba attack.
- On September 15, 2026, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new data on the cost of President Trump’s war in Iran. The report was in response to an inquiry led by Senators Warren (D-Mass.), Merkley (D-Ore.), and Schumer (D-N.Y.).
- On July 30, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) and Representative Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, led 11 members of Congress in opening an investigation into reports that the DoD failed to provide adequate medical care to service members injured in a March drone strike on a U.S. military post at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait.
- On July 6, 2026, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) led nine members of Congress in pressing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on the DoD’s defunding and deprioritizing of programs that prevent and respond to civilian harm in war.
- 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 into 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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