Russ Vought, White House budget director, declines to tell senators cost of Iran war
By: Alexander Bolton (The Hill)
Don't know, don't care. Not my money. Not my problem.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
04/16/26 -- Russell Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, declined to give senators an estimate of the cost of the military operations against Iran when pressed on the issue during a hearing Thursday.
Vought said the White House is working on a request for additional defense funding but declined to offer an estimate of how much the war has cost taxpayers so far, telling lawmakers that the costs "fluctuate" day to day.
Asked by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) if the administration has already spent $50 billion on the conflict, as some media reports have indicated, Vought said: "I wouldn't [want] to make a characterization of that at this point."
That answer didn't sit well with the senior Democrat, who told Vought, "I would expect you to have pretty good numbers on that so I'm a little disappointed in that answer."
Vought also declined to confirm reports that the administration is planning to submit a request for $80 billion to $100 billion to fund military operations against Iran.
"If you were to be on the inside of the Department of War, these costs would fluctuate given the day. So I think it's hard to give you an average cost," Vought said.
Senators believe the war is costing the administration roughly $10 billion a week, but that number has yet to be officially confirmed by the White House or Pentagon.
Merkley later accused Vought of trying to "hide" the cost of the war at a time when the federal debt is more than $38 trillion.
"He doesn't want a number to be out there because it's a big number and it's very disturbing to Americans that we're spending 1 to 2 billion dollars a day" on the conflict, he told The Hill.
The White House requested $1.5 trillion in defense spending in its budget proposal for fiscal 2027, but that amount does not include the supplemental funding it wants Congress to approve soon for the military conflict with Iran.
Vought told senators that the White House is "working" on a request for supplemental defense funding to cover the costs of the military operations against Iran.
"We are working on a supplemental for Congress for additional needs. We're working through that review process. Part of it is the length of the war … part of it is the extent to which some items might be fiscal year '26 or '27," he said.
Merkley and Vought also sparred at Thursday's hearing over the White House's decision not to include a deficit projection for fiscal 2027 in its annual budget proposal.
"I noted that you did not include deficit numbers in your budget even though those are required by law," Merkley said.
Vought argued that the White House proposal is a "discretionary budget" and "it's important not to confuse the country" when Congress is still working on budget reconciliation efforts that could impact those deficit numbers.
He said the White House would release a midyear projection of the federal deficit.
"We will comply with the law at the midsession point about how we are doing," Vought said.
Be a good human. Grossly derogatory comments, blatantly inflammatory comments, excessive trolling, mean-spirited taunting and insults, scamming, spamming, and off topic comments may be removed in compliance with the site's Terms of Service and the Code of Conduct. The moderators have the final word.
Tags
Who is online
119 visitors
Presidents Trump and Biden have already overseen a doubling of the national debt; adding $19 trillion in less than 10 years. Another $4 trillion would just be Trump change.
Nothing to see here. Let's talk about something important like the ballroom that every President since Moses wanted. Jesus would've built a ballroom as a tabernacle to TRUMP. <That's sarcasm, for the reality impaired.>
Do you suppose big oil and the military/industrial capitalists will be paying windfall profits tax? Personally, I doubt it. They ARE the Heritage Foundation ! Waterboarding would do wonders for Vought.
Well, the windfall will be taxed. The unresolved question is whether the businesses or the investors should be taxed? Businesses can pass those taxes on to consumers. But investors cannot. So which ox should be gored?
Russell Vought is a political scientist with a law degree. Vought is not and never has been an economist or a financial policy wonk. Vought is in the business of delivering political results. Or, in this case, avoiding politically damaging information.
The income tax was initially to be for capital gains, seems both investors and corporations should be liable. How can they NOT !
How about the DOW man, that's all that counts.
You'll come to know, when the bullet hits a bone. Greed is going to bring it all down.