Published June 24, 2026
President Donald Trump’s administration has asked Congress to approve $87.6 billion in additional spending, including for the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
On Wednesday, the Office of Management and Budget, part of the executive branch, formally submitted a funding proposal, and director Russell Vought encouraged the House to take up the proposal.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
“I urge Congress to respond to these important and urgent requests as soon as possible,” Vought said in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The bulk of the requested funding (approximately $67 billion) was allocated to the Department of Defense to address war-related needs, such as “funding military personnel and readiness costs” and “operating costs to rebuild inventories.”
The request is more modest than the Pentagon’s request for $200 billion in additional funding earlier this year.
But with so little time left until November’s midterm elections, it’s unclear whether there will be the political will to pass another big spending bill.
The spending request also comes a day after Congress passed the War Powers Resolution, which calls on President Trump to end U.S. military activity against Iran. Otherwise, it will seek parliamentary approval.
In this vote, four Senate Republicans (Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, and Rand Paul of Kentucky) voted for Democrats across party lines. Two more did not vote on the resolution at all.
The divisions within the Republican Party are widely seen as reflecting broader societal divisions over the war against Iran. Polls show that war is unpopular among the American people.
For example, earlier this week, research firm Ipsos and news agency Reuters published a survey showing that only 24 percent of respondents believed the war was worth the cost.
The divisive nature of the war was also on display in Congress, with President Trump appearing as a guest at a private luncheon for Senate Republicans on Wednesday.
After President Trump attacked Republicans for supporting the War Powers Resolution, Cassidy reportedly confronted the president and defended his vote.
“I stood up and said, ‘You’re not telling the American people what’s going on,'” Cassidy told reporters after the meeting. “This was supposed to last four weeks. It lasted four months. It hasn’t achieved its original purpose.”
He pledged to continue voting in favor of the War Powers Resolution until Congress receives a full briefing on the U.S. war effort.
Democrats, on the other hand, said they would oppose the White House’s funding request.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington said the proposal is “an attempt to secure tens of billions of dollars in additional funding for unrelated Department of Defense priorities that should be properly considered through the annual appropriations process.”
“I will carefully consider this entire request and make sure that our service members are taken care of, but I am not going to rubber stamp tens of billions more dollars for this tragic war of choice,” she added.
But the funding request had supporters. Representatives Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Ken Calvert of California saw the additional military funding as a worthy investment.
“President Trump’s request reflects the reality that we must not just demonstrate, but maintain, our nation’s defense capabilities,” the two leaders said in a joint statement.
Of the amount allocated to the Department of Defense, $21 billion was earmarked for military supplies. An additional $17.3 billion was allocated for operating expenses and $21.1 billion for classified programs.
This would be in addition to the $150 billion in military spending that Congress approved last year in Trump’s signature tax and spending package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
But Wednesday’s spending bill also includes other funds and measures that critics say could push it through.
The package includes $11.1 billion in agricultural aid, $1.1 billion of which will go to Florida farmers who suffered losses from the winter storm. An additional $1.4 billion will be provided to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Africa.
Some funding was also set aside for infrastructure and public works.
The proposal would earmark $1 billion to improve New York’s iconic Penn Station and another $500 million for renovations and construction in Washington, D.C., where President Trump has begun several projects, including the demolition of the East Wing of the White House.
