U.S. officials provided congressional committees with a report indicating that the Trump administration used $5.6 billion in munitions during the initial two days of strikes against Iran, a person familiar with the material said on Tuesday.
The disclosure comes as members of Congress raise alarms about the possibility that ongoing operations will erode U.S. military inventories at a time when the defense industrial base has been strained by high demand. According to aides and other officials, the Pentagon has been working to rebuild stocks.
Late last week the President met with executives from seven defense contractors as Pentagon officials pushed to replenish supplies consumed in the early phase of the campaign. The administration has not released a public estimate of the total cost of the conflict it began on Feb. 28 together with ally Israel.
Lawmakers have pressed for more transparency, requesting public testimony by officials on topics that include how the operations could affect the military's ability to defend the United States. Several congressional aides have said they expect the White House will soon send a request to Congress for additional funding to support the war effort.
Estimates of the potential supplemental request vary among officials. Some have suggested a figure of $50 billion, while others described that estimate as likely too low. At this stage, the administration has not publicly confirmed a specific dollar amount as a formal request to Congress.
Context and next steps
Congressional scrutiny is centred on quantifying the material and budgetary toll of the operations and on ensuring that efforts to restore munitions and related supplies keep pace with demand. The report provided to committees is not a public release, and details beyond the $5.6 billion figure have not been made public, according to the person familiar with the document.
With congressional aides anticipating an additional funding request, oversight hearings and further briefings appear likely as lawmakers seek to assess readiness implications and the capacity of defense contractors to accelerate replenishment.