Questioned in Congress, White House budget chief says he can't “estimate” major financial detail of war with Iran

White House budget director Russell Vought said on Wednesday he could not estimate the costs of a war with Iran as he defended President Donald Trump's request for a massive $1.5 trillion annual military budget in the face of bipartisan criticism from US lawmakers who cited the Pentagon's historic lack of financial accountability.

“We're not ready to answer your question. We're still working on it. We're trying to determine what's needed,” Vought said at a House Budget Committee hearing. “I don't have a rough estimate,” he added.

The cost of the war with Iran, which Trump began alongside Israel on February 28, has remained an open question on Capitol Hill. An initial request for $200 billion in additional war funding ran into strong opposition in the US Congress last month.

Vought appeared before the committee to discuss Trump's proposed fiscal year 2027 budget, which calls for a $500 billion increase in military spending and a 10 percent cut in non-defense programs.

The request is intended to reflect the Republican Party's priorities ahead of November's midterm elections, in which Trump's Republicans hope to retain control of the House and Senate, but face growing public concern over rising living costs, energy prices and the US-Israeli war with Iran.

The Pentagon “has never passed an audit”, accuse Democrats

Democrats disputed Vought's claims that health, education and energy assistance programs for low-income people were marred by fraud.

“I'm glad you brought up the issue of fraud because you're coming back to ask for a $1.5 trillion budget for the Department of Defense,” Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington, told the White House budget director. “The Department of Defense is the only federal agency that has never been audited… But you are doing nothing about it.”

Vought said the administration in Washington is targeting the Pentagon's “inefficiencies.”

“I don't think you're doing enough,” said Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman, who has called for an audit of the Pentagon to be completed before Congress votes on defense spending.

“There is so much arrogance in that agency,” added Grothman, of Wisconsin. “They're just saying we don't have to do the audit. 'We're so important. We don't care what Congress thinks,'” the Republican said.

Vought touted Trump's budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 as intended to cut spending. He touted Trump's 2025 package of tax cuts and spending, known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” as an initiative that delivered $2 trillion in mandatory savings through cuts to Medicaid health coverage and food assistance for low-income families.

That law, which extends the 2017 tax cuts, will add $4.7 trillion to the U.S. budget deficit over the next decade, while cutting immigration will add another $500 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office, an independent body.

“With an Impassive Face”

Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the Democratic leader of the budget committee, pointed to projections that the health care cuts in the legislation would mean more than 15 million people would lose health insurance. Vought said they are able-bodied adults, people in the country illegally or who are ineligible for benefits.

“You're going to sit here with a straight face and say they're all illegal immigrants? They've all defrauded the system? Is that really your position?” Boyle asked.

“Yes,” Vought replied.

Democratic Representative Scott Peters of California brought to Vought's attention that the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a watchdog, found that the administration illegally withheld billions of dollars earmarked for grants to the National Institutes of Health, public schools and Head Start early education programs nationwide.

“Are you challenging the GAO's findings?” Peters asked.

“Yes. The GAO is usually wrong. They are very partisan,” Vought replied.

Trump's proposed budget needs congressional approval to take effect, as Republicans try to overcome Democratic opposition to funding Trump's immigration crackdown, just months after the longest administration shutdown in US history. Democrats have already said the budget proposal is doomed from the start, leaving the administration's funding up to closed-door negotiations among budget committee members.