White House asks Congress for 87.6 bln USD funding, mostly for Iran war

WASHINGTON, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Wednesday asked the U.S. Congress for 87.6 billion U.S. dollars for Iran war costs and a few other programs, one day after the Senate passed a war powers resolution on Iran in a symbolic protest against President Donald Trump's handling of the war.

"Most of this request will address urgent needs related to Operation Epic Fury (OEF), in addition to other critical needs such as responding to the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa and supporting hardworking American farmers," the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a letter to the House.

The bulk of the request -- nearly 70 billion dollars -- would go to the Pentagon, addressing operational costs incurred during OEF, including funding for military personnel and readiness expenses, operational costs to rebuild stocks expended by the department, classified programs, and other key expenses.

The request also includes 11 billion dollars for American farmers and 1.4 billion dollars to respond to the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

The administration also requested 500 million dollars to support ongoing efforts to complete restoration and construction projects in and around Washington, D.C., and 1 billion dollars to complete the renovation of Penn Station in New York City.

The newly released package faces an uphill battle as lawmakers from both parties increasingly resist major new spending on a deeply unpopular war.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a war powers resolution on Iran, restricting Trump from launching further military operations in Iran without congressional approval. The passage of the resolution marked the first time such a measure had cleared both chambers of Congress since the conflict began in late February.

In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump lashed out at the four Republicans who voted with Democrats, calling them "losers."

"These Senators have just made my job more difficult, but I will get it done, one way or the other," Trump said.