Vought: White House still drafting Iran war funding request
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- Russell Vought told senators Thursday the White House is still working on its supplemental defense funding request for the Iran military conflict, saying "Not yet" when pressed on timing
- The conflict is estimated to cost more than $10 billion per week, a figure cited during the Senate Budget Committee hearing
- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), chairing the hearing, said he wants the request sent to Congress "sooner rather than later" and pressed for a delivery timeline
- Vought declined to confirm media reports that the administration has already spent $50 billion on the conflict, telling Sen. Jeff Merkley he wouldn't "make a characterization of that at this point"
- Vought also would not confirm reports of a planned $80 billion to $100 billion total supplemental request, citing day-to-day cost fluctuations
- Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) called Vought's evasion on spending figures "a little disappointing," saying he would expect the budget director to have "pretty good numbers"
Why it matters: With operations burning through an estimated $10 billion per week, Congress has no formal price tag or timeline to authorize the war — and the hearing exposed a bipartisan frustration with the White House's opacity: Graham wants the request fast, Merkley wants hard numbers, and Vought offered neither.
