White House Seeks $87.6 Billion Supplemental Spending for Iran War, Other Needs

The White House on Wednesday asked Congress for $87.6 billion in supplemental spending to pay for the Iran war and a host of other things including aid to U.S. farmers, and Ebola response.

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought made the request in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.

"I urge the Congress to take action on these important and urgent requests as soon as possible," Vought wrote.

The request includes $21 billion for the Defense Department to "support critical capabilities, munitions procurement, and strengthen the U.S. industrial base," $1.4 billion for Ebola response and $768 million for the Energy Department for nuclear and other energy security.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in March had said the Pentagon may request $200 billion to fund the war that began Feb. 28.

The request could put vulnerable Republicans in a difficult position months out from the 2026 midterm elections if they're forced to vote on additional funds for an unpopular war. And the request met with immediate opposition from congressional Democrats. Congress would need to appropriate money to fulfil the White House's request.

"President Trump launched a reckless and costly war with Iran — without authorization from Congress or the support of the American people — that he should never have started, and now, instead of doing anything to help families get by, he is asking taxpayers to pick up the tab and give him billions more to wage wars overseas," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement.

"And he is making this request for more funding as the Pentagon already has a historic annual budget and sits on over $100 billion in unspent funding Republicans provided in their Big Ugly Bill," Murray said, referring to the 2025 GOP tax and spending package known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Vought's letter also requests $10 billion for farmers, who have struggled in the last year and a half in part because of Trump's trade policies, $500 million for restoration and construction projects in Washington, and $1 billion to renovate of Penn Station in New York City.

"Congress has a constitutional obligation to provide for the common defense, and we must always sustain our military with the tools and capabilities needed to defend America in full force against all threats," House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Ken Calvert, R-Calif., said in a joint statement on Wednesday.