[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3195-S3196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                                  IRAN

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to reflect on the 
costs of war. The heaviest burden is always paid by those who serve. In 
the President's war of choice against Iran, 13 American servicemembers 
have lost their lives, their families forever affected.
  The damage to the global economy and the American economy also has 
been staggering. Energy prices and commodity prices worldwide have 
skyrocketed, worsening global poverty and food insecurity rates. At 
home, gas prices rose to an average of $4.56 a gallon, the highest we 
have seen in 4 years. Mortgage rates jumped, and operating expenses 
surged for American farmers.
  Moody's Analytics put the total U.S. cost at $132 billion when 
factoring in military spending, rising prices, and interest rates. 
Every dollar spent on war is 1 less dollar to improve healthcare or 
repair our roads.
  Here is another cost associated with the Iran war: $29 billion. That 
is the estimate that Pentagon officials shared during a Senate 
Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing last month. That figure 
includes only short-term operational expenses and the costs associated 
with replenishing some munitions. However, it does not include the 
heavy cost required to repair or rebuild U.S. military bases and 
facilities in the Middle East that sustained damage from Iranian 
retaliatory strikes. And every service Secretary has come to Congress 
to tell us they are running out of money and will need to delay 
critical training for troops, defer maintenance on military bases, and 
pause duty station changes.
  Yet, while Pentagon officials testified before Congress that the war 
apparently only cost $29 billion, they were reportedly putting together 
a supplemental request for upwards of $80 billion. That is on top of 
the $1.5 trillion that the President has requested for the national 
defense budget for fiscal year 2027, at least $350 billion of which the 
President hopes will come from yet another partisan reconciliation 
bill.
  Can you imagine? $1.5 trillion, with a t, for the national defense 
budget--a 50-percent increase over current funding levels. Has the 
Pentagon provided Congress with a detailed accounting of its expenses 
and needs associated with the cost of the Iran war? No. Do we know what 
will be in the Pentagon's supplemental request? No. Do we know when we 
will see a supplemental request? No. Will a reconciliation bill include 
strict financial guardrails for the Department of Defense? If it is 
anything like the $150 billion that DOD received from the majority last 
year, probably not. I, for one, am not interested in giving the 
President a blank check, especially when he threatens further strikes 
against Iran one day, then touts a supposed peace deal the next.
  Here is one more dollar figure I would like to point out: $300 
billion. That is the figure tied to a reconstruction fund that 
President Trump has apparently promised to Iran under the terms of the 
preliminary agreement he signed last week. This funding is apparently 
what is needed to help Iran rebuild its economy after the war--but the 
details are murky.
  Who will provide this funding? Will it be the American taxpayers left 
holding the bag after the President's failed war? Unclear.
  Will there be any constraints on how Iran can use this funding? Can 
they use it to reconstitute their military? Unclear.
  What mechanism will there be for oversight of the fund? Also unclear.
  Can you imagine the howls of outrage if President Obama, while 
negotiating the JCPOA, promised Iran $300 billion in reconstruction 
funds? Under the JCPOA, economic relief for Iran was provided through 
certain sanctions waivers and access to its own previously frozen 
foreign assets. President Obama faced significant scrutiny from

[[Page S3196]]

my colleagues on the other side of the aisle on the release of those 
Iranian funds.
  I recall many distortions about a $1.7 billion payment at the time, 
including bogus claims that the United States was paying out for 
prisoner releases when, in reality, we were clearing up a decades-old 
legal settlement that had nothing to do with the JCPOA. Less than $2 
billion seems like pennies relative to the $300 billion promise made by 
President Trump to the Iranians today.
  Already this week, the Trump administration issued sweeping oil 
sanctions waivers, unlocking billions in new revenue for Tehran. And 
apparently, the U.S. is working with Qatar to free up billions of 
dollars in frozen assets available for Iran. These financial incentives 
for an adversary before we have compliance are remarkable.
  Ultimately, I hope my colleagues reassert Congress' constitutional 
responsibilities when it comes to the war against Iran.
  I am glad that the Senate adopted a resolution instructing the 
President to end the war yesterday, and I hope when it comes to the 
national budget or any supplemental request, we will uphold our power 
of the purse.
  I also look forward to reviewing any final nuclear agreement with 
Iran as required under the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act.
  Anything less is an abdication of our duties as Members of Congress.

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