Trump asks Congress for $87 billion, mostly for ‘urgent’ Iran war spending

The White House asked lawmakers to approve $87.6 billion (£66.5bn), mostly for “urgent needs” for the US war on Iran, a day after Congress passed a resolution condemning the military action.

The bulk of the funding — $67 billion — is for the Defense Department, including $21 billion for ammunition, $17.3 billion for operating costs and $12.1 billion for classified programs, the White House said.

The other money is for unrelated measures, including $11 billion for US farmers and $1.4 billion to fight the Ebola outbreak in central Africa.

But with the Iran conflict unpopular with voters and midterm elections looming this November, the proposal faces an uphill battle in Congress.

The White House Office of Management and Budget sent the formal request for the money in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“Much of this request relates to urgent needs related to Operation Epic Fury (OEF),” the letter says, referring to the Iran war.

Washington and Tehran are currently observing a ceasefire, but the conflict has depleted the Pentagon’s reserves.

Republicans in Congress have expressed skepticism about the peace plan Trump agreed to with Iran last week.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump held a tense meeting with Senate Republicans after he abruptly canceled a signing ceremony for the bipartisan housing bill.

At a closed-door luncheon on Capitol Hill, the Republican-controlled Senate protested Tuesday’s symbolic vote on the war powers decision to block the Iran war, the BBC’s US affiliate CBS reported.

In the year It was the first resolution of its kind since the passage of the War Powers Resolution in 1973 to clear Congress of instructing the president to end military action.