On Thursday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, as Reuters recalls, referring to the request, said that “this amount may still change,” but stressed that the measures were necessary to “kill the bad guys“.
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Hegseth's speech took place at a time when as Democrats, as well as some Republicans, express doubts about the wisdom of such massive spending, especially in the face of recent budget cuts in other areas.
The rising costs of war sparked heated debate
“We just heard that the Pentagon has applied for an additional $200 billion for this war. How on earth are we going to pay for this? This is completely absurd” – said Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from Washington, during a speech in the House of Representatives, whose words were quoted by Reuters.
In turn, Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland expressed strong opposition to the proposal.
Read also: Iran attacks with missiles in the Persian Gulf region. Trump responds evasively
“The best way to end this war, protect our soldiers, save civilians and stop the unlawful administration is to cut off funding. I am absolutely against it,” says X in a post on the social media platform.
Republicans are also divided
Even though Republicans have a majority in Congress, even within their ranks there are voices of criticism towards the Pentagon's proposal. Senator Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Budget Allocation Committee, admitted that was not previously informed about plans for additional financing.
“The sum is much higher than I expected“—Collins told reporters on Capitol Hill. She also added that likely to request a public hearing on the controversial proposal.
Read also: Iran still makes money from oil. “They want to make fun of the USA”
The war with Iran, started on February 28, it is already turning out to be one of the most expensive in US history. According to data provided to Congress, the first six days of the conflict consumed over $11 billion. This means that Americans burn through $1-2 billion a day.
