The Dictatorship
Inside the Democratic quest to learn the actual cost of the Iran war
It was an answer Democrats had long sought — but not one they believed.
Last week, more than two months after the U.S. first launched its attack on Iran, a top Pentagon official finally offered Congress an estimate for the cost of the war so far, pinning it at $25 billion.
That estimate was quickly dismissed by Democrats as not realistic.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said $25 billion is “lowballing it.” Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., dismissed the figure as an “undercounting.” And Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said the Pentagon’s number was in all likelihood “way too low.”
Now, as the war stretches into its third month, Democrats are still trying to find out exactly what the price tag is for what President Donald Trump has dubbed a “little excursion” in the Middle East.
Many are frustrated with what they see as an administration eager to obfuscate. And some Democrats admit they may not get a straight answer anytime soon.
Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told MS NOW that the Trump administration has withheld more information from Congress regarding defense spending than any administration he has worked with since taking office in 2011.
“This administration is uniquely unresponsive,” Blumenthal said. “This administration has stonewalled unlike any other I have seen, which has frustrated not only Democrats but our Republican colleagues.”
Blumenthal said he asked for a cost estimate in each of the three classified Pentagon briefings about the war but — prior to last week’s public hearings — had not received an update since the early days of conflict, when the Pentagon pegged the cost up to that point at more than $11 billion.
“It’s truly maddening that they have been so unresponsive,” Blumenthal said.
Rep. Pat Ryan of New York, an Iraq War vet who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, shared Blumenthal’s frustration, saying it is “pathetic” but “not surprising” that the Trump administration is “not being straightforward.”
Ryan argued Americans are facing, courtesy of the White House, an “unprecedented level of lies and deception around this war, even compared to Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Ryan told MS NOW it will likely take Democrats winning back control of the U.S. House and — with it — subpoena power to “get a full 100% reckoning” of what has happened in Iran, including the cost. But, he says, “we can’t wait that long.”
In the interim, sources told MS NOW that congressional Democrats are instead relying on open source data, public reporting and satellite imagery to get a better sense of the war’s potential price tag.
A congressional official with knowledge of the effort to track Iran war spending said far more damage has been done to U.S. bases, for example, than the Pentagon has publicly revealed.
“That is a lowball estimate that does not account for battle damage and other costs,” the official told MS NOW of the $25 billion figure. “But until DOD submits its costs, we just have to guess from public reporting.”
Ryan told MS NOW that Democrats on the Armed Services Committee estimate that the cost so far is likely double what the administration is saying — “probably $40 [billion] to $50 billion, and counting.”
Democrats on both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have sent formal requests to the Pentagon asking for cost estimate breakdowns.
MS NOW reached out to the Republican chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees to ask if they believed the $25 billion figure. Neither responded.
In addition to collating open source data, Democrats are looking at different legislative tools to get their arms around the price tag — but that could take time.
For instance, just days after the first U.S. strikes, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee sent a request to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, asking that they put together an official estimate of the financial and economic impacts of the war.
In his letterthe top Democrat on the Budget Committee, Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., asked the CBO to examine not just the direct costs of military action, but also the potential indirect costs, including the foreign aid the U.S. may need to distribute in the region and the rise in consumer prices domestically.
It’s not clear when, or if, the CBO may offer an assessment.
Democrats argue it should not be this difficult for Congress to get answers out of the administration about Pentagon spending — and say past administrations have been more forthcoming.
Records show that over the past decade, the House Budget Committee has regularly hosted top Defense Department officials — under both Democratic administrations and during the first Trump White House — to testify about the Pentagon’s budget. That has not happened during the current Trump term.
The reluctance to come before Congress is all the more notable as the White House is in the process of asking lawmakers to approve $1.5 trillion in Pentagon spending for the upcoming year — a more than 40% increase year over year. And it remains unclear if the Trump administration may ask for additional funding on top of that to cover costs associated with the war.
Boyle, who called the administration’s $25 billion figure “almost certainly a lowball,” said he “will not support another blank check for an endless war of choice in the Middle East without a clear strategy, a real justification, and full transparency.”
“Americans want their tax dollars used to lower costs here at home — not poured into another reckless war with no end in sight,” Boyle wrote in a statement to MS NOW.
The vague war price tag — coupled with the massive 2027 Pentagon funding request — has given Democrats a new plank in their midterm “affordability” line of attack against the White House and Republicans.
Democrats are expected to continue to pound the drum about the cost of the conflict, especially the trickle-down effects back home, such as higher gas and grocery prices.
Ryan introduced a bill on Tuesday— co-signed by the top Democrats on the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees — barring the use of additional taxpayer dollars for military action against Iran absent congressional authorization for the war or an official declaration of war.
Ryan told MS NOW that his constituents were already concerned about the cost of living, and the war has only compounded that.
“There’s a very clear date and event around which this changed, which was February 28 and the initiation of this war,” Ryan said.
“So,” he added, “reminding people where the accountability lies is the goal.”
Kevin Frey is a congressional reporter for MS NOW.
David Rohde is a senior national security reporter for MS NOW. A two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting, he previously worked for NBC News, the New Yorker, Reuters, the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor.
AMERICA’S 250TH — A GUEST ESSAY BY WALTER ISAACSON
When Thomas Jefferson finished a first draft of what was to become the Declaration of Independence, he sent it to Benjamin Franklin on the morning of Friday, June 21, 1776. “Will Doctor Franklin,” he wrote in his cover note, “suggest such alterations as his more enlarged view of the subject will dictate?”
For the next 10 days, the drafting committee made edits and tweaks. Most notable was the crafting of the soaring second sentence. Other nations had been born out of conquests and rebellions, usually based on tribal or religious identities.
But the United States was born out of an ideal, which they proclaimed in the memorable words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
It may be the greatest sentence ever crafted by human hand.
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the nation it brought forth, we have become increasingly polarized. But birthdays can be a time to put differences aside and celebrate, with gratitude, who we are. One way to lower the temperature is by appreciating anew the sentence that became our common creed and mission statement.
ON THE CALENDAR
No birthday party quite like a 250th. Americans will turn out this weekend in red, white and blue for barbecues, fireworks, parades and more in New YorkBostonChicagoLos AngelesMiamiHoustonCharlotte and everywhere in between. Happy birthday, America.
In the Big Apple, the “largest flotilla of the world’s tall ships” from more than 20 nations will sail down the Hudson through New York Harbor at Sail250. And down at Coney Island, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest returns for its 111th year. The over/under, as always, is stomach-turning.
In Washington, the Capitol Fourth Concert — featuring Patti LaBelleKool & The Gang and the National Symphony Orchestra — joins the National Mall’s Great American State Fair and the Independence Day Parade down Constitution Avenue. A full dance card, even by D.C. standards.
In Atlanta, runners will fly down 10 kilometers of the Track Club’s Peachtree Road Race. And if you’re not fleet of foot, there’s a $100 gift card waiting for the best sign.
Out west, Festival Napa Valley’s summer season begins this weekend: operas, jazz orchestras and a culinary garden showcasing the best of Napa. No better way to spend a summer evening.
And on the pitch: the World Cup’s Round of 32 ends today, and the Round of 16 gets underway. Argentina faces the tiny but mighty Cape Verde; Canada and Morocco meet tomorrow; and Norway takes on Brazil Sunday.
And on Monday night in Seattle, the U.S. takes the field with a quarterfinal berth on the line. Not a bad way to ring in the next 250.
LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
For today’s special edition, we asked you about your fondest Fourth of July traditions. Here’s what The Tea community said:
My mom’s birthday was July 4, 1924. She always was a proud Yankee Doodle Dandy and a proud American. Dad, a WW2 vet, would always dress in red, white and blue from his hat to the socks every 4th of July for both the country and his wife. It was always bbq, family and whoever stopped by. Fun times that we still honor!
—Doug L., Charlotte, North Carolina
Every 4th of July my Dad, along with his fellow American Legion cronies, started the day with a flag raising ceremony in the town center-then, they all marched in the town parade and finally finished the day with the town fireworks. They did this tirelessly and with much pride year after year. These true blue real patriots taught me all I needed to know about being an American. Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labour Day this group of Americans taught the entire town that being a proud American wasn’t about wearing red, white and blue or yelling at the top of our lungs, but rather quietly taking care of those who might need a helping hand. They’re all gone now, but the memory of what they did has stayed with me all of my 78 years. Happy Birthday, America!
—Anonymous
One of my most cherished memories is of my dad on July 4, 1976 — America’s Bicentennial. As a skilled pyrotechnician, he was entrusted with creating the fireworks display from a barge just off the coast of Long Beach, California. It was a breathtaking show that lit up the sky for hundreds, perhaps thousands, of spectators.
Standing there watching, I couldn’t have been prouder. Seeing my father’s talent and hard work bring so much joy to so many people is a memory I’ll carry with me forever. He loved this country and took great pride in celebrating its history that day.
P.S. He was a lifelong Democrat, and knowing him as I did, there’s no doubt he never would have voted for Trump.
— Roseann H., Canoga Park, California
As a child every year my small mountain community of Crestline in Southern California would hold a parade and I was so excited that I finally was able to ride my horse in it, much to my mother’s chagrin because she walked next to me!
—Kelly M., Temple, Texas
One 4th the parade was held in Houlton, Maine, and it snowed that day.
—Johnny L., Norwich, Connecticut
July 4th, 1976, found me in Zurich, Switzerland celebrating the holiday with other Americans working abroad. Some of my new friends were from the American south and some, like me, were from the north. The highlight of the evening was walking through the streets singing competitively, at the top of our lungs “I Wish I Was in Dixie” and “Yankee Doodle.”
— Monique N., Branford, Connecticut
Visiting the Gettysburg National Park on Independence Day 2025.
Outside of an active-duty military base, there is only one place I can think of where you will consistently see license plates from every corner of the country. Our national battlefields. Blue states and Red ones. East Coast and West Coast. Midwest ‘flyover states’ and Massachusetts. The apparently well-off and those who are probably struggling.
But, in some way, Americans who visit are on the same path of trying to understand why and who they are; not as themselves necessarily, but who they are in the big, collective puzzle of being American.
Where else do you see a rusted-out truck from the Midwest parked next to a brand new BMW with New York plates? Or a Mississippi big rig driven by a cigar-toting Southerner with a Confederate flag in his window beside a minivan from New Hampshire, piled to the ceiling with kids, bicycles, and a stressed-out dad?
(I observe the dad has a brief and friendly chat with the Mississippian. He ascended Little Round Top, hands on hips, let out a deep breath, and observed the Valley of Death below him. I felt his stress ease away as if he had a renewed understanding of life and what’s truly important in it, given the great context before him).
People from entirely different corners, abilities, and wealth, standing on the same piece of land their grandfathers engaged in combat over. Our shared history. There is a quiet but sure power about these places, bringing Americans together every day. The ground remembers who we are. It’s time for us to as well.
— Adam B., Mount Pleasant, New York
CATCH UP ON MORNING JOE
Former Rep. Joe Scarborough, R-Fla., is co-host of MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” alongside Mika Brzezinski — a show that Time magazine calls “revolutionary.” In addition to his career in television, Joe is a two-time New York Times best-selling author. His most recent book is “The Right Path: From Ike to Reagan, How Republicans Once Mastered Politics — and Can Again.”
Over the course of June, Donald Trump spent nearly every day focusing attention on assorted construction and beautification projects, emphasizing the unavoidable conclusion that the president takes his renovation crusade very seriously.
His allies aren’t necessarily pleased. The Hill recently reported that Republican officials, worried about the midterm elections and maintaining partisan control, have been “thrown off-balance” by, among other things, Trump’s focus on “pet projects” instead of more meaningful national priorities.
The list of projects keeps growing nevertheless. It includes (but is by no means limited to) the ballroomthe Reflecting Poolthe “triumphal arch,” the fountainsthe horse statuesthe “Trump Promenade,” the “statue garden” and the dozen or so additional renovation projects he’s prioritized in and around the White House complex.
But let’s also not forget the helipad.
A couple of months ago, The Washington PostThe Wall Street Journal and The New York Times separately published similar reports about Trump hoping to build a permanent helicopter landing site on the White House grounds. Evidently, those plans have now advanced to the construction stage. The Post reported this week:
President Donald Trump has begun construction on a new White House helipad, his latest change to the historic grounds, according to three people who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the project publicly.
Construction crews worked into the night Monday on the White House’s South Lawn, with the project blocked off by a large fence.
The report, which has not been independently verified by MS NOW, added that the project hasn’t yet been formally announced by the White House, even as construction is apparently underway.
It’s not yet clear how much the project will cost, who will pick the tab and whether this has joined the growing list of no-bid contracts.
Unlike some of the president’s other priorities, there is a legitimate issue here — the latest generation of helicopters really do damage the White House lawn — although this doesn’t answer the other lingering questions or explain why Team Trump hasn’t acknowledged the existence of the project.
What’s more, this almost certainly won’t be the last of the Republican’s projects.
Earlier this week, the president used his social media platform to promote an artificial intelligence-generated image of a gold eagle affixed to the White House exterior. Trump added in his online image, “A Golden Gift to the White House for its 250th Birthday Year!”
The text (which erroneously said the White House is celebrating its semiquincentennial) suggested the president intends to add this gaudy addition to his ambitious renovation agenda.
Recent polling has found two-thirds of Americans are convinced their unpopular president simply has the wrong priorities. Trump could take steps to change their mind, but he apparently doesn’t want to.
Steve Benen is a producer for “The Rachel Maddow Show,” the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He’s also the bestselling author of “Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans’ War on the Recent Past.”
The Dictatorship
Hegseth blasts protesters at ceremony for D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force: ‘Ingrates’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday derided protesters at an event in Washington, D.C., tied to the America 250 celebrationscalling the demonstrators “ingrates” who are “blinded by ideology.”
The D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force event in Meridian Hill Park was set to begin at 9 a.m. ET but did not start until roughly 30 minutes later, as members of the National Guard waited for Hegseth’s arrival amid a brutal heat wave. Protesters shouted during his brief address, in which he said he was to blame for the delay and praised the troops for their service.
“In fact, this background noise this morning is perfect,” Hegseth said about the protesters, with White House adviser Stephen Miller and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche standing behind him.
“It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them,” Hegseth said. “That there’s nothing ideological about this group, there’s nothing political about this exercise.”
Some protesters could be heard shouting “Shame!” and “Guard, go home!”
Pete Hegseth: “This background noise is perfect. It’s the sound of ingrates, of ingratitude, of people who are so blinded by ideology they can’t see law and order and common sense in front of them.” pic.twitter.com/aWt5ciuRG3
—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar)”https://x.com/atrupar/status/2072679604184109222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>July 2, 2026
National Guard troops have been deployed to assist with America 250 celebrations in the capital, though some Democratic governors have warned against their guard members being utilized for a larger federal joint task force to tackle what the Trump administration has called“rampant crime” in Washington.
Many Washington residents are not thrilled with the National Guard’s presence. The controversial America 250 festivities have also sparked criticism from Democrats who accuse President Donald Trump of putting himself at the center of the celebrations.
At the Thursday ceremony, Hegseth suggested the protesters were not from Washington.
“These ingrates will fade away; they’ll go back to wherever they came from,” he said, before asserting that National Guard troops have brought the crime rate down in the capital — a claim that at least one study has found to be inaccurate.
“The crime rate here has dropped in staggering amounts, and the media won’t want to admit it because, of course, they’d have to give credit to President Trump, and then they’d have to give credit to the Department of War or to Stephen Miller,” Hegseth said. “But courageous men like President Trump and Stephen, who said enough is enough, are the reason why this city is a safe and beautiful place.”
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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