Pentagon Confirms $25 Billion Spent on Iran War as SCOTUS Deals New Blow to Voting Rights Act

The Trump administration’s costly and reckless military escalation in Iran has now officially run up a $25 billion tab, according to Pentagon Comptroller Jay Hurst’s testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, testifying alongside Hurst, refused to offer any timeline for ending the conflict, instead lauding the operation as a “major success” and dismissing Democratic criticism as “defeatist.”

This war of attrition in the Strait of Hormuz shows no signs of de-escalation. NPR’s reporting reveals that both the U.S. and Iran remain locked in a standoff, each maintaining blockades that choke vital shipping lanes and inflict economic harm. Retired Navy Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan warns that while the U.S. could eventually clear Iranian mines and weaken Iran’s forces, such efforts would be slow and costly. Negotiations, currently stalled, remain the only viable path to reopening this critical waterway safely.

The $25 billion price tag is just the tip of the iceberg. The war’s impact ripples through the economy, including a near doubling of jet fuel prices in the U.S., which in turn drives up costs for wildfire-fighting operations—costs that taxpayers will inevitably bear.

While the administration pours billions into foreign conflict, the Supreme Court struck a devastating blow to democracy at home. In a sharply partisan 6-3 decision, the Court ruled Louisiana’s 2024 election map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander but reinterpreted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act to require proof of intentional racial discrimination rather than just discriminatory effects. This shift makes it significantly harder to challenge voter suppression and is expected to reduce minority representation across all levels of government.

Legal experts warn this ruling further erodes the landmark 1965 law that has long protected racial minorities’ voting power. Atiba Ellis, a legal scholar, describes the new standard as requiring plaintiffs to “find a smoking gun”—a near-impossible burden that undermines decades of progress.

This dual assault—wasteful war abroad and attacks on voting rights at home—lays bare the Trump administration’s priorities: consolidating power through military adventurism and judicial maneuvers that weaken democratic safeguards. As the Pentagon drains the treasury and the Supreme Court chips away at civil rights, the consequences will be felt by all Americans who value accountability and democracy.

We will keep tracking these developments and holding power to account. Stay with Only Clowns Are Orange for relentless coverage of the Trump administration’s corruption, authoritarian overreach, and attacks on democracy.