War With Iran Costs U.S. Taxpayers $47.1 Billion So Far, Pentagon Tells Congress

The price tag for the war with Iran has reached $47.1 billion for American taxpayers, according to an estimate U.S. Central Command provided to Congress. The figure is current through Oct. 16 and marks the most recent accounting of a conflict that the United States and Israel began in late February.

That total is up $3.5 billion from early September, when Pentagon spending on the war stood at roughly $43.6 billion. The Associated Press obtained the new number this week.

Voters go to the polls next Tuesday to decide which party controls Congress for the final two years of President Donald Trump's term. The war and its effects on energy prices are part of the campaign discussion. Trump has raised the possibility of striking Iran again after the election and is sending more military resources to the Middle East, though he had earlier told Americans the operation would last only weeks. A recent AP-NORC survey found most voters want Congress to make ending the conflict a priority.

On Capitol Hill, the Trump administration is pushing a $1.5 trillion defense budget proposal. The White House also wants lawmakers to approve a $95 billion package to help pay for the war with Iran and other priorities. Wednesday marks eight months since the fighting started. Democrats have introduced legislation to end it, but the measure has not cleared the Republican-led Congress.

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer of New York said Trump started the war without a plan, authority or a way out. "The Senate Democrats will continue to do everything in our power to end this war disaster and stop the costs, the chaos and the corruption that pour out of the White House," Schumer said in a statement.

Of the $47.1 billion total, about $29 billion goes to replacing munitions. Interceptor missiles for the Army's Patriot and THAAD systems are among the weapons in highest demand, and a single Patriot interceptor costs millions of dollars. The Pentagon attributes roughly $11.9 billion to operational costs and another $6 billion to lost equipment. Air Force costs total $7.6 billion, Army costs exceed $2 billion, and Navy costs are $1.45 billion, down from $2.2 billion in early September. When asked why Navy estimates fell over the six-week period, the Navy and U.S. Central Command referred questions to the Pentagon, which did not respond to emails seeking comment.

The estimate does not include damage to U.S. bases in the region. A Pentagon inspector general report released last month found Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and other structures at U.S. facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan. The Pentagon's official count lists 21 service members killed and 865 wounded. Eighteen of those deaths came from Iranian attacks, combat aircraft accidents or drone removal operations.