Trump Sent Congress an $87.6 Billion Iran War Bill - Hours After Shouting at Republican Senators

Caption: President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address on January 20, 2025. Credit: The Trump White House, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain.

Hours after a reported shouting match with Republican senators over their votes to limit his war powers, President Trump submitted an $87.6 billion supplemental spending request to Congress on June 25 - asking the same lawmakers he had clashed with to fund a war they never authorized.

What You Should Know

The White House Office of Management and Budget delivered the package to Congress on Wednesday. The bulk covers Pentagon replenishment after Operation Epic Fury, which began February 28 without congressional authorization. The request also covers aid for U.S. farmers and an Ebola response component.

The Pentagon had originally sought approximately $200 billion. The submitted request is significantly reduced. Early cost estimates from March placed just the first six days of the conflict at more than $11.3 billion, according to NYT reporting.

The Pressure Point

The timing was not incidental. According to PBS and AP reporting, the OMB sent the request hours after Trump had a confrontation with Republican senators during a private Senate lunch - a shouting match tied to their support for the war powers resolution. The White House was simultaneously demanding $87.6 billion from senators Trump had just called ‘losers.’

Several lawmakers in both parties have objected to any additional military funding while the conflict lacks congressional authorization. Republican appropriators now face a direct choice: fund an unauthorized war or block Pentagon replenishment during active diplomatic negotiations.

The Receipts

The OMB submission is official record. PBS and AP confirmed both the request and the preceding Senate confrontation. The Pentagon inspector general review was separately launched, required by federal law for overseas operations exceeding 60 days. Congress has not authorized the conflict.

What Happens Next

Congress must decide whether to take up the supplemental. Republican leadership has not committed to a timeline. Any vote will put lawmakers on record either funding an unauthorized conflict or blocking military stockpile replenishment - both costly positions heading into November’s midterms.

References: PBS NewsHour