Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Thursday that the Pentagon has submitted a request to the White House seeking more than $200 billion in supplemental funding to support ongoing military operations against Iran and replenish depleted munitions stockpiles.
The funding request, first reported by The Washington Post, would go toward paying for operations in Iran and refilling American munitions stockpiles.
The funding package is intended to cover the high costs of Operation Epic Fury — the U.S.-Israeli military campaign that began in late February 2026 — and to replenish stockpiles of high-precision munitions being depleted at a rapid rate.
Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese asked Hegseth directly about the reported request during a Pentagon press briefing Thursday morning.
Hegseth responded, “As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move. Obviously it takes, it takes money to kill bad guys, so we’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition is, everything’s refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond.”
Hegseth credited President Trump’s military investments during his first term as a key factor in the operation’s current capabilities.
“I mean, President Trump, as he said, rebuilt the military in his first term, didn’t think he’d use it as dynamically in his second, but he had. So thank goodness he did that,” the defense secretary said.
Breaking Defense noted that previous reporting had suggested the Department of Defense would request around $50 billion — a quarter of the new potential ask.
U.S. forces have struck over 7,000 targets inside Iran’s military infrastructure since the war began, said HNGN. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said that figure includes 120 maritime vessels and 44 minelayers.
Hegseth tied a portion of the current munitions shortage directly to the Biden administration’s foreign aid decisions.
“And an investment like this is meant to say, hey, we’ll replace anything that was spent, and now that we’re reviving our defense industrial base and rebuilding the arsenal of freedom and cutting deals like our great deputy secretaries here is doing, long lead times on exquisite munitions, we’re going to be refilled faster than anyone imagined, and I think, you know, we’re also still dealing with the environment that Joe Biden created, which was, which was depleting those stockpiles and not sending them to our own military, but to Ukraine,” Hegseth said.
The United States sent over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine following Russia’s invasion on February 24, 2022. According to data from the Kiel Institute, between January 24, 2022, and December 31, 2025, the U.S. provided $131.45 billion in bilateral allocations to Ukraine.
Hegseth reiterated the administration’s position on where American weapons belong.
“Every time we reach back and look at any sort of a challenge we have, it goes back to, well, send it to Ukraine,” Hegseth told Reese.
“Ultimately we think… these munitions are better spent in our own interests at this point, and this kind of funding bill is going to ensure that we’re properly funded going forward.”
While Democrats have been critical of the Iran war, Republicans have signaled support for the forthcoming supplemental request. However, the GOP hasn’t committed to a legislative strategy for getting the request passed, per Just The News.
They also have not found a clear path to reach the Senate’s 60-vote threshold.
