Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Pentagon has sought $200 billion in additional funds for the Iran war, a sizable amount that is certain to be met with questions from Congress, which would need to approve any new money.
The department sent the request to the White House, according to a senior administration official. Asked about the figure at a press conference on March 19, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not directly confirm the amount, saying it could change.
“It takes money to kill bad guys,” Hegseth said. But he said, “We’re going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we’re properly funded.” Meanwhile, the nation’s debt has surged past a record $39 trillion. Lawmakers have not authorized the war, and the Congress is showing growing unease with the military operation’s scope and strategy.
While the House and Senate are controlled by the president’s Republican Party many of the more conservative lawmakers are also fiscal hawks, with little political appetite for big spending, on military operations or other matters. Most Democrats are likely to reject such a request and demand more detailed plans from the Trump administration about the US military goals and objectives.
Rep. Ken Calvert, the Republican chair of the House Subcommittee, said, “This is about our national security and it’s important that we get this done. “ But Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota, the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee with oversight over defense spending, said, “I’m not writing blank checks to the Department of Defense.”
Battle ahead in Congress
It all points to a monumental battle ahead in the Congress over any new Pentagon spending that would almost certainly need support from Republicans and Democrats in a bipartisan package to push past objections toward approval.
The requested amount would be a hefty boost to the Pentagon’s annual budget, which the Congress approved at more than $800 billion for the current fiscal year.
