The White House on Wednesday officially asked Congress for $67 billion in supplemental funding for the Pentagon to cover the costs of the Iran war. That funding is part of a larger $87.6 billion request that also includes $2 billion for the Coast Guard, $1.5 billion for the State Department, and small amounts for the FBI and Department of Energy to cover their war costs as well, The Hill reported last night. The larger request also includes funds for ebola response and $11 billion for relief for farmers suffering from weather disasters and President Trump’s tariffs.
The long-awaited package includes $1.7 billion for DOD readiness, $17.3 billion for Operational Costs, $1.5 billion for fuel costs, $1.2 billion for administration priorities, $21 billion for munitions, $5.1 billion for cybersecurity and autonomy, $2.4 billion for drones, $800 million for National Guard support, and $12.1 billion for other, “classified” programs, according to The Hill.
The Hill points out that the Iran war request will need the support of some Democrats to pass, but there’s little appetite among them to support what many of them see as an illegal, unjustified war. “I don’t think anybody in the Democratic caucus is willing to appropriate billions of dollars to paper over the massive mistake of the Iran war,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn) told The Hill.
