White House seeks $87.6bn in new spending amid Iran war fight
The request would send about $67bn to the Pentagon as Congress weighs the cost and authority for the US military campaign against Iran.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
The Trump administration asked Congress on Wednesday to approve $87.6bn in additional spending, with most of the money aimed at the Pentagon during the US-Israel war against Iran. The request arrives as lawmakers are openly divided over both the cost of the campaign and President Donald Trump’s authority to continue it.
The Office of Management and Budget sent the proposal to Congress, according to Reuters and The Associated Press. OMB Director Russell Vought urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to move quickly, writing: “I urge the Congress to take action on these important and urgent requests as soon as possible.”
About $67bn of the package would go to the Department of Defense. The administration said the money would cover war-related needs, including personnel, readiness, operating costs and replenishing military stockpiles.
The Pentagon share includes $21bn for munitions, $17.3bn for operational costs and $21.1bn for classified programmes, according to the proposal reported by Reuters and AP. The request is smaller than a $200bn supplemental funding bid the Defense Department made earlier this year.
The new ask follows Congress’s passage of a war powers resolution calling on Trump to stop US military action against Iran unless he gets approval from lawmakers. Four Senate Republicans — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rand Paul of Kentucky — joined Democrats in backing the measure, while two other Republicans did not vote.
The split has exposed Republican unease over the war. Reuters and Ipsos reported this week that 24 percent of survey respondents said the war was worth its cost, a sign of weak public support.
Trump met with Senate Republicans at a closed-door lunch on Wednesday and criticized members of his party who backed the war powers resolution, according to the reports. Cassidy later told reporters he challenged the president over the administration’s public explanation of the war.
“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy said. “This was supposed to last four weeks. It’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved.” Cassidy said he would keep supporting war powers resolutions until Congress receives a full briefing on the war effort.
Democrats signaled resistance to the spending request. Senator Patty Murray of Washington said the proposal appeared to seek “tens of billions of additional dollars for unrelated Pentagon priorities” that should be handled through the normal appropriations process.
“I will closely review this request in its entirety and ensure we take care of our servicemembers, but I will not rubber-stamp tens of billions more for this disastrous war of choice,” Murray said.
Republican Representatives Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Ken Calvert of California supported the military portion of the package. In a joint statement, they said Trump’s request reflected a need to maintain US defense strength.
The package also includes money outside the Pentagon. Reuters and AP reported that it would provide $11.1bn in farm aid, including $1.1bn for Florida farmers hit by winter storms, as well as $1.4bn for Ebola response efforts in Africa.
The proposal sets aside infrastructure funding, too. It includes $1bn for improvements at New York’s Penn Station and $500m for restoration and construction projects in Washington, DC, where Trump has pursued several projects, including the demolition of the White House’s East Wing.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.