05/14/2026
Day 76 of the Iran war — and the Pentagon's bill just went up another four billion dollars.
I'm Mehlia Hauxwell, an Air Force intelligence veteran from Oshkosh. Two combat deployments. I write a daily sourced briefing on what's actually happening with this war, because the people paying for it deserve to know.
Here's where things stand:
THE CONSTITUTIONAL QUESTION
The War Powers Resolution requires the President to end hostilities within 60 days absent a vote from Congress. That clock expired May 1. The administration argues the April 7 ceasefire stopped the clock. The U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports — which the law of armed conflict classifies as an act of war — is still active. Three Republican senators voted Wednesday to formally direct the President to end hostilities: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Senator Murkowski flipped for the first time. The measure failed by one vote, 50-49 — the closest of seven attempts. She intends to introduce a formal Authorization for Use of Military Force for Iran.
This is a constitutional process question. The 1973 War Powers Resolution was written by Congress to ensure the President couldn't keep American troops in sustained combat without legislative authorization. Both parties have used it. Both parties have ignored it. The question on the floor Wednesday was whether Article I authority over war-making still constrains the executive branch. By one vote, the Senate said it doesn't have to right now.
THE COST
Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst testified Tuesday that the
war's cost has now climbed to approximately $29 billion. Two weeks ago, the same Pentagon team gave Congress a figure of $25 billion. Six weeks ago, the number was $18 billion. The $29 billion figure does not include repairs to U.S. military installations damaged by Iranian strikes — Hurst told the committee that those costs are not yet calculable. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates the facility-repair number alone could add at least $4 billion. CBS News reported earlier this month that the Pentagon's internal estimate of total war cost sits at approximately $50 billion — roughly double the public figure.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the administration's $1.5 trillion fiscal year 2027 defense budget request alongside the testimony. That figure is a $500 billion increase over the current year and the largest defense budget in U.S. history.
THE WISCONSIN ANGLE
Approximately 400 Wisconsin National Guard soldiers — have been mobilized in the AOR. The Pentagon is reportedly considering renaming the war "Operation Sledgehammer" if the current ceasefire collapses, which would have the legal effect of starting a fresh 60-day War Powers clock. The operational effect, for Wisconsin Guard families, would be the possibility of an extension.
AT THE PUMP
AAA's national average for regular gasoline is $4.50. Wisconsin pumps typically run twenty to thirty cents above national average. State of California: $6.16. Hawaii: $5.65. The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon. The President has said he wants to suspend it indefinitely. A suspension requires congressional action and would reduce the per-gallon price by roughly that amount — less than the daily volatility of crude oil.
WHAT WAS REVEALED THIS WEEK
Reuters reported Tuesday and Wednesday that Saudi Arabia conducted unpublicized airstrikes directly on Iranian soil during the war — the first known direct Saudi military action against Iran. Rocket attacks were also launched from Kuwaiti territory against Iran-aligned militias in Iraq on at least two separate occasions. The Israeli Prime Minister's office confirmed Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly visited the United Arab Emirates during the war; the UAE denied the visit took place.
The regional coalition the United States has been operating with is larger and more directly involved than the public record had shown.
WHAT THIS HAS TO DO WITH YOU
If you're paying $4.70 at a Wisconsin pump, that's roughly $20 to $30 a month more per vehicle than you were paying in late February. If you have a family member in the Wisconsin Guard, the question of whether this war is legally ongoing affects when they come home. If you're a voter, the question of whether the executive branch can sustain combat operations without congressional authorization is the question Congress was specifically designed to answer.
Senator Murkowski cited "lack of clarity" from the administration as her reason for flipping her vote. Your two senators have had access to the same briefings and the same information. Their published rationale for the May 13 vote is a matter of public record.
The full briefing — every figure cited, every claim sourced, no opinion injected — is in the comments. No ads. No corporate backing. Written by a veteran, for the people paying the bill.
