Merkley, Wyden, Lawmakers Urge Nonpartisan Congressional Scorekeeper to Determine True Cost of War in Iran

Merkley, Wyden, Lawmakers Urge Nonpartisan Congressional Scorekeeper to Determine True Cost of War in Iran

Trump Administration has provided inconsistent and incomplete estimates that contradict external experts, raising questions about true cost of war Senators: "The American people deserve to know the true costs of this conflict, and they deserve transparency and honesty when their government commits the nation to war."

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, partnered with Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to lead a coalition of lawmakers-including Oregon's U.S. Senator Ron Wyden-in urging the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to determine the true cost of war in Iran and set the record straight regarding inaccurate and incomplete estimates provided by the Trump Administration.

"The American people deserve to know the true costs of this conflict, and they deserve transparency and honesty when their government commits the nation to war," wrote the Senators.

On April 29, two months into the war, Acting Comptroller of the Department of Defense (DOD) Jay Hurst testified before Congress that the cost of Operation Epic Fury would be about $25 billion. Weeks later, he revised that estimate to be about $29 billion.

But independent analysts and investigative journalists have produced estimates that are significantly higher, raising concerns that the administration has not been fully truthful or transparent with the American public. Some Republican lawmakers reportedly heard estimates that the Pentagon is spending as much as $2 billion a day on the war, roughly quadruple the initial estimate that Hurst gave to Congress.

According to public reports, the estimates provided to Congress "did not fully account for damaged or destroyed equipment or U.S. military installations damaged," with the real cost coming in closer to "$40-50 billion when accounting for the costs of rebuilding U.S. military installations and replacing destroyed assets," including "extensive damage" to U.S. bases in the Middle East.

Even conservative experts, including President Trump's former DOD deputy comptroller Elaine McCusker, estimated the cost to be as high as $35 billion at the time of the April 7 ceasefire. When accounting for operations, munitions, equipment losses, and U.S. military aid, other analysts have estimated the war's cost to be as high as $72 billion in just the first 60 days. These figures could be even higher with indirect costs, when accounting for higher energy prices and long-term care for veterans.

"It is essential that Congress and the American public receive accurate, comprehensive estimates of the costs of the war in Iran," wrote the lawmakers.

The Senators' letter comes as the Trump administration intends to request as much as $200 billion in additional funding for the war in Iran-in addition to its unprecedented $1.5 trillion defense budget request it recently submitted to Congress.

"[CBO's] timely and comprehensive estimate of the immediate and long-term budgetary consequences will help ensure that the Iran war remains subject to rigorous and appropriate legislative oversight," the Senators concluded.

Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined in signing the letter.

Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here.