[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 42 (Thursday, March 5, 2026)]
[House]
[Page H2452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        COSTS OF THE WAR IN IRAN

  (Mr. VINDMAN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VINDMAN. Mr. Speaker, much has been said about the President's 
war in Iran. He has not made the case clear to the American people 
about what he is looking to achieve.
  Regime change from the air may be unlikely and may result in a more 
extreme, hostile, and dangerous regime than existed before. All of that 
is true, but what is truly unacceptable is the cost, both in American 
blood and American treasure.
  We don't know yet the cost of the war but by some estimates it could 
cost as much as $1 billion a day. The President has said 4 to 6 weeks, 
and that translates to $28 to $42 billion. I have heard even more 
alarming reports from senior DOD officials earlier today. That money 
won't be spent on lowering working Americans' grocery bills, 
prescription drugs, and gas at the pump.
  The most terrifying cost is the six Americans who have been killed, 
including one who is a constituent that lived in Spotsylvania, 
Virginia.
  Yesterday, the Secretary of Defense said it is ``tragic news'' that 
is reported because the press only wants to make the President look 
bad. That is outrageous and beyond the pale. This is not about the 
President. It is not about the Secretary. It is about the 
servicemembers.
  The American people are deeply concerned about our sons and daughters 
dying in a war that just 27 percent support.

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