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The Pentagon needs $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran war as well as other non-war-related expenses, Deputy Defense Secretary Stephen Feinberg told lawmakers in phone calls this week, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Thursday.
Citing people familiar with the discussions, the report said Defense Department officials have warned that some military services could run out of funding for operations this summer unless Congress approves a new wartime spending package.
Any supplemental funding request would first need approval from the White House Office of Management and Budget before being formally submitted to Congress. The Defense Department's budget for fiscal year 2026 stands at approximately $1 trillion.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Pentagon officials are sufficiently confident in the proposal that Feinberg has already briefed lawmakers on the plan in recent days.
The funding would help cover a range of expenses, including ship operations, personnel salaries and munitions, according to one person familiar with the discussions.
The report said a broader supplemental spending request covering both defense and non-defense priorities could be sent to Congress in the coming days.
The discussions come as the Pentagon faces mounting costs following months of military operations linked to the conflict with Iran, while also managing routine defense expenditures.
Feinberg's outreach to lawmakers coincided with a meeting between Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and senior Republican senators on Capitol Hill this week, where the possibility of additional defense funding was discussed, according to lawmakers cited by the report.
The potential request would mark one of the first major supplemental spending packages sought by the Pentagon since the end of active hostilities between the United States and Iran.
While details of the final proposal remain unclear, officials have indicated that maintaining military readiness and replenishing stockpiles remain among the department's immediate priorities.
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