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Sunday, March 22, 2026
US Treasury chief says there’s ‘plenty of money’ for Iran war, taxes won’t rise to fund fight
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The US government has “plenty of money” to fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from the US Congress to ensure the military is well supplied in the future, the country’s treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, says.
Bessent, speaking on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program, also rules out pushing for any tax increases to fund the war.
The US military’s request for $200 billion in additional funding for the Iran war faces stiff opposition in Congress, with Democrats and even some Republicans questioning the need after large defense appropriations last year.
Bessent defends the request without confirming the amount. US President Donald Trump has not yet sent a request for the Senate and House of Representatives to approve the sum and his administration has made clear that the number could change.
“We have plenty of money to fund this war,” Bessent says. “This is supplemental. President Trump has built up the military, as he did in his first term, as he is now doing in his second term, and he wants to make sure that the military is well supplied going forward.”
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said last week that the extra money was needed “to ensure that we’re properly funded for what’s been done, for what we may have to do in the future.”
Bessent dismisses a question about possible tax increases as “ridiculous” and says that was “not at all” under consideration.
Early indications suggest that the war will be the most expensive for the US since the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Administration officials told lawmakers that the first six days of the Iran war had cost more than $11 billion.
The Times of Israel Community.