Trump’s Iran War Budget Proposal is Bigger Than Public Education Spending

The Pentagon’s budget proposal for the war in Iran is reportedly more than $200 billion—an amount that is significantly more than the U.S. Department of Education’s funding for public education.

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon has asked the White House to approve a more than $200 billion request to Congress to fund the war in Iran, citing a senior administration official.

Why It Matters

Although it remains unclear how much the White House will ultimately ask Congress to approve, the request is likely to face resistance from lawmakers opposed to the war. It comes as lawmakers have demanded answers over the Trump administration’s rationale for the war, as well as the strategy, exit plan and costs to Americans in lives and dollars.

Even before the war, President Donald Trump had proposed a $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027, a huge increase from the $901 billion provisioned for 2026.

Critics have railed against the nation’s defense spending soaring at a cost to domestic issues including education and housing. Meanwhile, the national debt has surged under both Republican and Democratic presidents, most recently fueled by wars, large-scale pandemic spending and tax cuts.

What To Know

The cost of the war in Iran has surged since the United States and Israel launched strikes on February. The first week alone cost the U.S. an estimated $11.3 billion, The Associated Press reported, citing an estimate the Pentagon provided to Congress in a briefing last week.

Since then, Pentagon officials have been putting together a range of proposals for supplemental funding, the Post reported.

Newsweek has contacted the White House and Pentagon for comment via email.

In comparison to the Pentagon’s reported request, the money appropriated for the Department of Education is significantly less. The Trump administration has been working to dismantle the department and although both Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have acknowledged only Congress has authority to close the department fully, they have suggested its core functions could be parceled out to different federal agencies.

Trump signed a bill last month funding the Department of Education at $79 billion through September. The amount is about $217 million above fiscal year 2025 levels, according to K-12 Dive.

The reported $200 million is also more than how much the department has appropriated each year for public education.

The department’s total annual public education budget hit a peak of $194.5 billion in the 2023 fiscal year, and $180 billion in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the Education Data Initiative.

State and local governments also contribute to education spending, meaning the overall amount spent on education is higher and varies by state.

What People Are Saying

Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday: “At this point, I would oppose that supplemental of $200 billion, and I think its chances of passing Congress are slim, maybe slim to none. The reason is, very simply, it could be misinterpreted as approval of the war. The administration has yet to come to the Congress for approval, as required by the Constitution.”

Senator Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, wrote on X: “At the height of combat the Iraq War cost around $140 Billion per year. If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion they are asking for a long war. The answer is a simple no.”

Tommy Vietor, a former spokesperson for former President Barack Obama and Pod Save America host, wrote on X: “Hard to think of something more politically unpopular than giving the Pentagon another $200 BILLION for bombs to drop on Iran. The message here for Democrats is so easy — spend that money on literally anything else.”

Democratic pollster John Anzalone wrote on X: “This will be a hard sell even for some Republican members with gas prices through the roof and opposition to the war approaching 50%.”