Gavin Newsom Slams Pete Hegseth’s Ignorance on Iran War Costs as True Price Soars to $50 Billion

California Governor Gavin Newsom didn’t hold back in calling out U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s ignorance about the true cost of the ongoing Iran war. After Pentagon officials revealed that internal assessments peg the war’s price tag at nearly $50 billion—roughly twice the $25 billion publicly reported to Congress—Newsom took to X to deliver a sharp rebuke.

“Trump has no plan in Iran. Hegseth doesn’t even know the cost. The American people are paying for their incompetence — every day at the pump,” Newsom wrote, quoting a CBS News report highlighting the Pentagon’s internal estimate.

The discrepancy stems largely from unaccounted losses, including 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones lost in the conflict, each valued at $30 million or more. These drone losses, combined with expended munitions and damage to military infrastructure, have driven costs far beyond the Pentagon’s headline figures.

Pentagon acting Comptroller Jules Hurst testified that military construction costs remain uncertain because the department has yet to determine its long-term posture or base requirements in the region.

The cost burden is not just a budgetary issue—it hits American households directly. At a House hearing, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) pressed Hegseth on the war’s impact on gas and food prices. Hegseth sidestepped the question, instead deflecting with a rhetorical query about the cost of an Iranian nuclear bomb and accusing Khanna of playing “gotcha” politics.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end hostilities and curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions remain stalled, even as Trump claims Iranian officials “want to make a deal badly.”

This episode exposes the Trump administration’s reckless mismanagement of the Iran conflict, leaving taxpayers to shoulder a mounting, hidden bill while officials dodge accountability. The real cost of war is not just dollars—it’s the erosion of trust and the strain on everyday Americans already squeezed at the pump.