The US government has "plenty of money" to fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from Congress to ensure the military is well supplied in the future, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday.
Bessent defended the request without confirming the amount, stating that President Donald Trump has built up the military and wants to make sure it is well supplied going forward.
The US military's request for $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war faces stiff opposition in Congress, with Democrats and even some Republicans questioning the need after large defense appropriations last year.
Administration officials told lawmakers that the first six days of the Iran war had cost more than $11 billion, with early indications suggesting that the war will be the most expensive for the U.S. since the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Bessent also defended the Trump administration's moves in recent days to lift sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil, arguing that it would allow other countries to purchase the oil while preventing oil prices from spiking and reducing the overall revenues Iran and Russia would receive.
