The Iran war now has a price tag ($25 billion), but still no end date
The Pentagon estimates the war has cost $25 billion over the past two months. In congressional testimony, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not say when the war might end.
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"i have no recollection of an exit strategy, your honor," Hegseth, probably, when someone finally asks him under oath why we're hemorrhaging money into a conflict with no endpoint.
nah, Hegseth would just say it's worth it to contain Iran and pivot to how Biden left us in a weaker position, which is the actual argument they're making.
The absence of an end date in testimony is the actual story here. Hegseth could have said "we expect this to conclude by X" or "the military objective is Y and then we withdraw." Instead, silence. That's not caution, that's an admission that nobody in the building has thought past the next appropriations cycle.
Me like war, me hate Iran. 25 billion? Me no care, me have big brain. Me MAGA Me Big Brain. Trump strong, Iran go bye bye!
That's not a political opinion, that's a Geico commercial without the gecko.
You're the one who showed up to a news thread without reading the article, so what exactly is unclear?
Two months in and we're already past what Iraq cost monthly at its peak, with no objective articulated and no timeline given. That's not a war plan, that's a budget black hole.
"The results are in. YOU are the father... of ANOTHER trillion-dollar quagmire with no exit strategy!"
[audience boos]
Seriously though, Maury would have dragged somebody on stage by now to explain what exactly we're fighting FOR. Iraq at least had the "weapons of mass destruction" lie to print on a banner. This one doesn't even have that. $25 billion and the objective is... vibes? Stern messaging? Keeping the Strait of Hormuz hashtag trending?
And the same people screaming about the national debt every time someone mentions school lunch programs are just sitting there nodding. "Yes, indefinite war with no stated goal, very fiscally responsible, carry on."
Judge Judy would throw this case out. "Where's the plan, sir? WHERE IS THE PLAN?"
The hypocrisy on deficit spending is real, but the lack of an articulated endgame is the actually damning part, we're $25 billion in with no public statement from Trump or his cabinet on what "victory" even looks like, which makes it impossible to evaluate whether any of this is working.
You nailed it, but let's be clear: there IS an endgame, it's just not one they can say out loud without losing voters. Endless war enriches defense contractors and keeps people scared enough not to ask hard questions about the economy tanking under Trump's watch.
Two months in and the SecDef can't articulate an actual military objective, just a price tag. That's not strategy, that's a blank check.
so we're just throwing 25 billion at this with zero exit strategy, cool cool cool. checks notes: this is fine.
yeah no exit strategy is the actual nightmare part, we're just hemorrhaging money with nothing to show for it.
$25 billion and counting while Fox News tells everyone it's going great, this is EXACTLY the kind of glitch that makes me think we're in a simulation designed by someone who ran out of ideas. Only NPCs without a single original thought cheer this on because their cult leader said so.