President Trump’s Department of Defense is requesting $200 billion for supplemental funding for the war in Iran, but not all Republicans are willing to vote in favor of the surprise additional expenditure.
Note: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said, “As far as $200 billion. I think that number could move. Obviously, it takes it takes money to kill bad guys.” Trump added, “It’s a small price to pay to make sure that we stay tippy-top.”
Secretary Hegseth on Pentagon request for Iran war supplemental of $200 billion: “As far as $200 billion. I think that number could move. Obviously, it takes it takes money to kill bad guys.” pic.twitter.com/WIdG6CE7zg
— CSPAN (@cspan) March 19, 2026
While conservative like Reps. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), who is a member of the House Budget Committee, said “It needs to be paid for. We need to do the fiscally responsible thing,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) told reporters she will vote NO: “I am so tired of spending money elsewhere. I’m tired of the industrial war complex getting all our hard-earned tax dollars. I have folks in Colorado who can’t afford to live. We need America First policies right now.”
When asked by a reporter if the U.S. should get out of Iran, Boebert replied, “That’s up to the president.”
GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert says she’ll vote NO on $200 billion in funding for the Iran war:
“I’m tired of the industrial war complex getting all our hard-earned tax dollars. We need America First policies.”
Reporter: Should the administration get out of Iran?
Boebert: That’s up… pic.twitter.com/xcN7UgkG2S
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) March 20, 2026
Democrats in the House including Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) oppose the financial supplement. Levin responded to Hegseth’s comments on social media: “$200 billion. No briefing, strategy, or end game. No respect for Congress. I sit on the Appropriations Committee. I have received zero justification. Hegseth’s entire case to the American people is ‘it takes money to kill bad guys.’ That’s an insult. To Congress and the Constitution. And most of all, to the men and women putting their lives on the line right now.”
[NOTE: Trump campaigned explicitly on “no more” foreign wars, a key component of the America First platform, as Boebert references. This tenet of Trump’s campaign largely took aim at Ukraine, for which Washington provided major financial support for its fight against the Russian incursion beginning in 2022. The total amount of money approved by Congress to support the Ukraine effort, not all of which has been drawn down, is approximately $175 billion over the course of the conflict.]