More than 200 days into the U.S. military conflict with Iran, congressional Republicans have not organized a single standalone public hearing to examine the war’s financial costs or consider an exit strategy, despite repeated calls for transparency from Democratic lawmakers. The war has led to at least 18 U.S. service member deaths and over 750 injuries, with thousands of Iranian lives lost. The government estimates the daily cost of the war to be around $246 million, with total expenses projected to reach $38 billion. Additional costs are expected to rise by $2 billion to $3 billion for each month of continued fighting. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), more than half of these costs have been attributed to replacing missiles and other military equipment, along with increased fuel and operational expenses. The conflict has also consumed up to two-thirds of the nation’s missile-defense interceptors since June 2025, and experts suggest rebuilding the supply could take at least five years. The U.S. and Israel launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, resulting in at least 178 civilian deaths, including dozens of children, according to the United Nations. These casualties may constitute war crimes, though the Pentagon has not conducted thorough investigations into civilian harm beyond a single strike on a girls’ school. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine testified before Congress in April and July, the latter after at least three U.S. service members were killed within two days. Hegseth blamed former President Joe Biden for the Pentagon’s challenges, calling them the result of "gross negligence and neglect" and claiming Biden "abandoned" the U.S. "strength posture around the world." Democratic lawmakers have criticized Republicans for failing to fulfill their oversight responsibilities. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused Republicans of acting as "Donald Trump’s rubber stamp" rather than holding the administration accountable. Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, condemned the administration for the "staggering toll in terms of lives lost and wounded in action, as well as in the waste of hard-earned taxpayer dollars" and the "overwhelming lack of transparency and level of incompetence." Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called Trump’s war a "foreign policy failure of historic consequence," stating that none of the stated goals have been achieved. U.S. military deaths have included service members killed in drone strikes, refueling accidents, and controlled detonations of Iranian weapons, with the first American deaths occurring after a fragile ceasefire was in place. Congressional Republicans have held more than 30 hearings on the 2012 Benghazi attack, which killed four Americans, including a U.S. ambassador. These hearings included multiple public sessions by the House Select Committee on Benghazi and the Senate Intelligence Committee, with a final report released in 2016. In contrast, no similar investigations have been launched regarding the current conflict with Iran. Lawmakers and experts have raised questions about the lack of scrutiny, particularly given the high human and financial costs of the war and the potential for war crimes in civilian casualties.