Hegseth says the Iran war has cost $37.5 billion so far and the Pentagon needs $67 billion to restock weapons.

President Trump’s top military advisers were on Capitol Hill to make the case for war in Iran and provide additional money to fund the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Kaine called for an additional $67 billion, which Hegseth described as an urgent and necessary infusion of funds. Nick Schifrin reports.

Correction: A graphic in this piece is incorrectly titled of Senator Mike Rounds. We apologize for this error.

Amna Nawaz:

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Kaine called for an additional $67 billion, which Hegseth called an urgent and necessary infusion of funds.

Nic Schifrin has been tracking all of this, and he joins us now.

So, Nick, what did Hegseth and Cain say about why this money was needed, and how did the senators respond?

Nick Shiffrin:

Hegseth and Kane requested additional funds to restock weapons that were used against Iran and to avoid budget shortfalls.

There appears to be a military shortage at the moment. Subcommittee Chair Susan Collins of Maine said there are — quote — “near-term solvency challenges” in some military services. So the Pentagon says this money is especially needed, especially after the war in Iran, which Hegseth said has cost $37.5 billion to date.

This is higher than $29 billion, which was their last estimate. But honestly, 37.5 is probably an underestimate in itself. Democrats questioned their request. They said that many of the weapons requested today had already been ordered by the Pentagon, and that the money was earmarked, frankly, for administration priorities that had nothing to do with Iran, since prices for the Americans were rising.

So listen to New York Democratic Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY):

You’re asking for unlimited money for bombs when people can’t feed their families, and I don’t know how this administration intends to defend these decisions to the American people.

Pete Hegseth, US Secretary of Defense:

Not unlimited bombs, Senator. I’m ordering the right bombs at the right time to ensure we can deter our adversaries in the future, which is why this is a generational investment. Was it the previous administration that did not fund this department?

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand:

Minister Hegseth, the reason people are so upset, the reason they are upset with you and this administration is because the words you have used in the past have no meaning.

Nick Shiffrin:

The Republicans, Amna, argued that war in Iran was necessary, and that if the United States withdrew now, Iran would impose tariffs in the Strait of Hormuz and would likely rebuild its nuclear program.

So listen to South Dakota Republican Mike Rounds.

Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD):

I believe that the decision to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program and their ability to produce missiles was the right decision, and should have been made a long time ago. But when the president did that, we also assumed there would be a risk.

Nick Shiffrin:

On that point today, the Pentagon determined that Sergeant Michael Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed over the weekend in Iraq, along with two other Americans killed in Jordan: 25-year-old 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan and 19-year-old Private Isabella Gonzalez.

Amna Nawaz:

Nick, as we reported, service members have been killed as that war with Iran now resumes. Where is he now? Is it just continuing to escalate?

Nick Shiffrin:

It’s definitely expanding, the war.

The United States ended its 10th straight night of strikes, not only on military targets, but also on infrastructure targets, including bridges, across southwest Iran. Over the past 24 hours, Iran has attacked three oil tankers crossing the Strait of Hormuz, as well as civilian targets within allied Gulf states along the Persian Gulf, including Kuwait.

The desalination plant, as you can see there, has been hit several times in a row. Kuwait needs this station to provide water to its residents. However, both sides now say diplomacy remains open. We saw Iranian officials in Pakistan, one of the mediators of course.

But today, President Trump has taken a dim view of diplomacy.

President Donald Trump:

I’ll tell you they want to meet so bad. Until they are ready to meet in a meaningful way, we don’t even have any interest…

Nick Shiffrin:

No interest in stopping. No interest in diplomacy, it didn’t end there.

Another threat is the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, another example of the war expanding. And now they’re threatening to shut down Bab al-Mandab, you see, 1,200 miles southwest of the Strait of Hormuz. Bab el-Mandeb is the gateway to the Red Sea.

Today, President Trump referred to a previous US military campaign against the Houthis and said it may be repeated.

Donald Trump:

That was about 45 days of very strong actions that we took against the Houthis, and we didn’t have any problem with the Houthis. They have had no problem with us for a long period of time, including during this conflict. I guess if there was such a thing, we’d just have to take care of business.

Nick Shiffrin:

Today, the Houthis claimed that they warned six ships heading towards Bab al-Mandab and that those ships changed their course. It is not clear that this is true.

But even the threat, Amna, that the Houthis are closing Bab al-Mandab will force ships not to try to go there. If the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab are closed, prices around the world will obviously rise if that happens, especially gas prices here at home.

Amna Nawaz:

Well, Nic Schifrin begins our coverage tonight.

Nick, thank you.

Nick Shiffrin:

Thank you.