Overview
- On Wednesday, May 27, a group of 20 Senate Democrats led by Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, and Chuck Schumer formally asked CBO Director Phillip Swagel to produce a timely, comprehensive estimate of the Iran war’s cost.
- The senators cited a big divergence between the Pentagon’s public figure of about $29 billion and outside estimates that range from roughly $32–35 billion up to $72 billion when including broader losses and economic effects.
- Lawmakers say the Pentagon’s totals appear to exclude or undercount major items such as damage to U.S. bases, destroyed equipment, higher current replacement prices for weapons, and long‑term costs like veteran care.
- The CBO has not yet agreed to the review and its officials say they have had trouble obtaining the detailed Pentagon data needed to verify and reconcile competing estimates.
- A CBO score would carry weight in oversight and budget fights because the administration is expected to seek large supplemental funding for the conflict, with reported requests ranging up to about $200 billion.