Las Vegas Sun
04/02/2026
What the military campaign costs each day
With no clear end to fighting in sight, the tab for military operations is also weighing heavily on the national balance sheet. The war is costing about $891.4 million per day, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a nonpartisan Washington think tank that analyzed information the Pentagon shared publicly. The first 100 hours of the campaign cost $3.7 billion, with most of those costs — roughly $3.5 billion — not previously budgeted. [12]
Lindsay Koshgarian, program director of the National Priorities Project at the Institute for Policy Studies, said the conflict is “not necessary” and is diverting money from policies that could “make life more affordable for Americans.” “The cost of the war in Iraq ended up being almost $3 trillion,” she said. “So this could be astronomical, easily.” [12]
The Trump administration has defended its spending. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the military has “plenty of money” for the war, though he acknowledged the Pentagon needs a supplemental funding package to ensure future readiness and supplies. Trump has said the economic costs are a “small price to pay” for the goal of eliminating Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities. [1]
