White House seeks $87.6B from Congress for Iran war costs, U.S. farmers and Ebola response

White House seeks $87.6B from Congress for Iran war costs, U.S. farmers and Ebola response

The White House has formally requested $87.6 billion mostly to replenish the Pentagon after the U.S. war against Iran, submitting the request to Congress at a politically difficult time.

The administration said it is requesting $67 billion for the Department of Defense for what it said were urgent needs related to the war against Iran. The biggest share of defense funding, $21 billion, will go to weapons munitions, with another $17.3 billion for operational costs and $12.1 billion for other classified programs.

Yet the White House was clear to include provisions to interest lawmakers from various regions, including $1 billion to assist "the final design and construction of a modernized Penn Station in New York City," which would be of interest to the Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. It also wants $11.1 billion toward economic assistance for American farmers, $1.4 billion for the Ebola virus outbreak in Central Africa and requests $500 million to support ongoing efforts to complete restoration and construction projects in and around Washington, D.C.

Washington Sen. Patty Murray, the lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the request is not merely to pay for "the president's disastrous war," but an attempt to secure tens of billions of additional dollars for unrelated Pentagon priorities. "I will closely review this request in its entirety and ensure we take care of our servicemembers, but I will not rubberstamp tens of billions more for this disastrous war of choice," she said.

Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Ca., said in a joint statement, "President Trump's request reflects the reality that our defense strength must be maintained, not merely demonstrated."