Pentagon wants $200 billion more

MSN -  The Trump administration is preparing to ask Congress for hundreds of billions of dollars in funding to pay for its military campaign against Iran, setting the stage for a high-stakes fight on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers in both parties have been leery of an extended overseas conflict.

The Pentagon has asked the White House to seek an additional $200 billion to cover operations, according to a senior administration official. The money would go toward flying thousands of combat missions over Iran, as well as replenishing munitions that have been used in nearly three weeks of fighting in the Middle East.

The size of the expected request comes as Trump administration officials have refused to put a timeline on the war.

“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday. “So we are going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we are properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future.”

Hegseth said the amount of money could change, but didn’t dispute that the Pentagon was seeking around $200 billion, a figure reported earlier by the Washington Post. “As far as $200 billion, I think that number could move,” he said.