The White House has formally asked Congress for $87.6 billion in emergency funding, with most of the request aimed at replenishing the Pentagon after the U.S. war against Iran.
The supplemental request, sent Wednesday by the Office of Management and Budget, lands as the administration is trying to protect a fragile ceasefire and as lawmakers in both parties have pushed back against further military action. The timing makes the package more than a budget item: it is now a test of whether Congress will pay for the Iran campaign while still questioning how it was launched and managed.
Most of the money would go to the Pentagon
According to The Associated Press, the bulk of the request is tied to Defense Department costs from Operation Epic Fury, the U.S.-led attack on Iran. ABC News, citing details from the request, reported that $67.1 billion would go to the Pentagon, including money for munitions, fuel, operational costs, classified programs, drone manufacturing and cybersecurity.
The biggest defense line item is about $21 billion for weapons and munitions. AP also reported $17.3 billion for operational costs and $12.1 billion for classified programs. ABC said the request includes $1.5 billion for fuel.
The request does not appear to cover every war-related cost. ABC reported that repairs to base infrastructure damaged by Iran are not included in the supplemental package.
The package includes farmers, Ebola response and other spending
The White House also folded several non-Iran items into the request. AP reported that the package includes $11.1 billion for American farmers, with $10 billion for economic assistance to row and specialty crop producers and $1.1 billion for Florida agricultural losses from winter storms.
The administration is also seeking money for the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. AP reported $550 million for prevention and detection work in Congo, plus $800 million in humanitarian assistance for the region.
Additional items include funding for Washington, D.C. restoration and construction projects, as well as $1 billion for Penn Station modernization in New York.
Congress may not move quickly
The politics are rough. The request arrived after the Senate passed a war powers measure meant to restrict further hostilities involving Iran. AP reported that President Donald Trump criticized Republican senators over that vote during a private lunch on Wednesday.
Democrats are already framing the request as a bill for a war they opposed. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump was asking taxpayers to cover the cost of the conflict, according to AP.
For now, the key point is simple: the White House is no longer just defending the Iran operation politically. It is asking Congress to pay for it, and that fight could shape the next phase of the ceasefire debate.