Hegseth Seeks $67B for Iran War Amid Senate Scrutiny

The Trump administration is escalating a costly, unauthorized war with Iran, now entering its fifth month, and demanding Congress bankroll it with an additional $67 billion on top of the $37.5 billion already spent. Defense Secretary Hegseth's testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee reveals no endgame—only a request for blank-check funding. The War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. § 1543) requires congressional authorization for hostilities exceeding 60 days; the administration has operated without it since late February, effectively bypassing the statutory check on executive war-making. The $37.5 billion in cumulative spending could fund the entire annual budgets of the EPA ($10.7B), NASA ($25.4B), and National Park Service ($3.4B) with room to spare. Meanwhile, real national security priorities—like rebuilding domestic supply chains, shoring up election security, and addressing the climate crisis—go unfunded. Democrats on the committee have signaled opposition, but the Republican majority may ram the package through, further eroding Congress's war-power responsibilities under the Constitution and Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution.