'This is unhinged' Rep. Jim McGovern calls out Pentagon's $200bn demand for the Iran war

With the White House requesting $200 billion in additional funds for the war in Iran, Congressman Jim McGovern has shared his criticism of President Donald Trump's handling of the war and his policies that cut nutritional assistance for Americans. On Thursday, Trump and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that the additional funds were required to support the military operation, which is set to complete its fourth week. Taking to X, the Rep. McGovern took a shot at the move, arguing that the president's policies had cut about $200 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and now he wants more money. 

"Trump cut nutrition assistance for Americans by nearly $200B…and now he has the audacity to demand that same amount so he can use it on a war nobody asked for?" the Democratic representative from Massachusetts wrote in his post. When asked about the extra billions needed for the war, Trump said the aid and ammunition sent to Ukraine depleted the military's resources, while Hegseth simply commented, "It takes money to kill bad guys," BBC reported. The estimated demand comes after the Pentagon told lawmakers the war cost the U.S. $11.3 billion in the first six days of the conflict. 

The $200 billion request comes on top of the department's Congress-approved annual budget of $838.7 billion. "This is unhinged," Rep. McGovern added, referring to the demand and the colossal cuts that the administration made under its signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The legislation slashed $186 billion from the SNAP, marking a 20% reduction, and the largest cut in the program’s history, as per the Harvard Kennedy School. SNAP is the largest anti-hunger program in the U.S., with around 40 million low- and no-income Americans claiming benefits that support them to buy food and groceries. 

While the cuts have adversely affected Americans, the expanded work requirements to qualify for the benefits have further exacerbated the situation, according to new estimates from the left-leaning Center for American Progress (CAP) think tank. The OBBBA expanded the work rules mandating that many adults aged 18 to 64 without work participate in training, or volunteer at least 80 hours per month, or face a three-month limit on benefits. The 55 to 64 age group and children aged 14 and older were earlier exempt in many places. According to the projections, the new rules could lead to 70,000 avoidable deaths due to enrollment losses, as 2.4 million people could lose benefits.  "As more families have their food assistance cut or eliminated, they are likely to experience worsening health outcomes and increased mortality," the CAP report reads.

However, the president has counted his cuts as a major victory in the recent past. During the State of the Union address, he stated, “We cut a record number of job-killing regulations, and in one year we have lifted 2.4 million Americans, a record, off of food stamps,” claiming the cuts and the stricter provisions as a win. On the other hand, apart from the staggering costs, the US-Israel war with Iran has had other economic impacts, including a spike in gas prices and inflation, per the BBC.