Defense Secretary Hegseth told Congress the Iran war has cost $37.5 billion so far, but House Democratic Leader Jeffries countered that the actual cost exceeds $100 billion. Hegseth's figure of $37.5B represents the official Defense Department accounting, but independent analyses and broader economic models do estimate total costs at around or above $100 billion — these higher estimates typically include direct combat costs plus broader war-related spending like weapons replenishment and other indirect expenses. The disagreement largely reflects different ways of measuring what counts as a "cost" of the war rather than a dispute over basic facts.