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WASHINGTON: The U.S. government has \u201cplenty of money\u201d \u200bto fund the war against Iran, but is requesting supplemental funding from Congress to ensure the military \u200cis well supplied in the future, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday.<\/strong><\/p>\n Bessent, speaking on NBC News\u2019 \u201cMeet the Press\u201d program, also ruled out pushing for any tax increases to fund the war.<\/p>\n The U.S. military\u2019s request for $200 billion in additional funding \u200bfor the Iran war faces stiff opposition in Congress, with Democrats and even some Republicans questioning \u200bthe need after large defense appropriations last year.<\/p>\n Bessent defended the request without confirming the \u2060amount.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump has not yet sent a request for the Senate and House of Representatives to approve \u200bthe sum and his administration has made clear that the number could change.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have plenty of money \u200bto fund this war,\u201d Bessent said. \u201cThis is supplemental. President Trump has built up the military, as he did in his first term, as he is now doing in his second term, and he wants to make sure that the military \u200bis well supplied going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said last week that the extra money was \u200bneeded \u201cto ensure that we\u2019re properly funded for what\u2019s been done, for what we may have to do in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n He \u200cdismissed \u2060a question about possible tax increases as \u201cridiculous\u201d and said that was \u201cnot at all\u201d under consideration.<\/p>\n Early indications suggest that the war will be the most expensive for the U.S. since the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Administration officials told lawmakers that the first six days of the Iran war had cost more than $11 billion.<\/p>\n The Republican-led Congress \u200bhas already approved record \u200bfunding for the military \u2060since Trump began his second term in January 2025. Last month, he signed into law the Fiscal 2026 Defense Appropriations Act with about $840 billion in funding.<\/p>\n And last \u200bsummer, over opposition from Democrats, the Republican-led Congress passed a sweeping tax \u200bcut and spending \u2060bill that included $156 billion for defense.<\/p>\n Bessent also defended the Trump administration\u2019s moves in recent days to lift sanctions on Iranian and Russian oil. Doing so, he argued, would allow other countries besides China \u2014 including Japan and South Korea \u2014 to purchase \u2060the oil, \u200bwhile preventing oil prices from spiking to $150 per barrel and \u200breducing the overall revenues Iran and Russia would receive.<\/p>\n He said a Treasury analysis showed that the maximum extra amount of oil revenue Russia \u200bcould get would be $2 billion.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n