The White House is asking Congress for nearly $88 billion in emergency spending, with the bulk earmarked for military operations against Iran that lawmakers never formally authorized. The request has already drawn fire from top Democrats who say the Pentagon is sitting on unspent cash and should not get more money for what they call a war of choice.
The administration's supplemental funding request, released Wednesday, allocates $67.1 billion toward Iran conflict costs, including $21 billion for munitions and bolstering the defense industrial base. The remaining funds would address an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and provide relief to U.S. farmers hit by tariffs and fertilizer price spikes tied to the conflict.
Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, signaled her party will not simply rubber-stamp the request. "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 in a statement. She pointed out that the Pentagon currently has $100 billion in unspent funds already available.
The timing of the request collides with a broader congressional gridlock. President Trump has demanded the Senate pass his voting restrictions bill, known as the Save America Act, and has leveraged unrelated legislation to force the issue. He previously refused to sign a bipartisan housing bill until the voting measure advanced, and earlier linked it to renewal of a foreign surveillance authority.
The funding request also includes a controversial push to codify year-round sales of E15, a higher-ethanol gasoline blend that can be cheaper but raises air pollution concerns during warmer months.
Broader Pentagon spending remains contested. Trump's proposed $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget is the largest in decades, but the White House's request to approve an additional $350 billion through a party-line vote has faced skepticism from senior Republicans. Senate and House appropriators have advanced legislation authorizing $1.15 trillion of the total, but the final chunk remains stuck.
Public opposition to the Iran conflict runs deep. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week found just one quarter of Americans believe the United States has emerged stronger from the conflict, which Trump initiated in February alongside Israel without prior congressional approval. Earlier this week, the Senate passed a largely symbolic measure that would prevent the president from restarting hostilities without congressional consent, though Trump's administration is currently seeking to resolve tensions through direct negotiations with Tehran.
The voting bill dispute threatens to delay action on the spending request altogether. On Thursday, House Republican leadership cancelled votes scheduled for Friday after Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna threatened to block procedural motions unless the Senate addresses the voting legislation. The Senate has adjourned until July 13.
Author James Rodriguez: "Democrats finally drawing a line on blank checks for a war Trump won't even call a war, and that should tell you how politically toxic this thing has become."
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