of The Pentagon reportedly wants Congress to approve more than $200 billion in additional funding for US President Donald Trump’s unauthorized and deeply unpopular war against Iran, as the administration weighs deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East, signaling a protracted conflict and a possible ground invasion.
of Washington Post reported late Wednesday that the Pentagon has requested The White House to sign off on the request for additional funding for the financial and human costs of Iran’s war balloon. The $200 billion figure, which prompted immediate backlash and vows of opposition from some Democratic lawmakers, is four times that number. widely sailed the last few days as a possible additional request of the department.
“This should be an absolute non-starter,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said in response to the Post’s reporting. “The best way to end this war, protect our troops, save civilian lives and stop an illegitimate administration is to cut off funding. I’m a hell no.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) wrote on social media that “at the height of the struggle of The Iraq War it costs about $140 billion a year.”
“If the Pentagon is asking for $200 billion, they are asking for a long war,” Gallego added. “The answer is a simple no.”
Each funding package would need 60 votes to pass US Senatewhich requires democratic support. As of this writing, neither has the Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) nor the House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) responded to reports of the Pentagon’s request.
The Post reported Wednesday that “it remains unclear how much the White House will ultimately seek approval from congressional lawmakers” and that “some White House officials do not think the Pentagon’s request has a realistic chance of passing Congress.”
Before launching the attack on Iran, Trump called for $1.5 trillion the US military bUDGET for the next fiscal year even after the Pentagon failed the eighth consecutive audit.
The Pentagon’s push for $200 billion in funding for the war in Iran comes after US investigators is said to be determined that US forces were responsible for the bombing – on the first day of the war – of an Iranian primary school that killed around 175 people, mostly young the children.
News of the Pentagon’s funding request came as Reuters reported reported THAT The Trump administration “is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to bolster its Middle East operation as the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran.”
“The deployments could help give Trump additional options as he weighs expanding US operations, with the Iran war in its third week,” Reuters reported. “These options include providing safe passage for oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, a mission that would be accomplished primarily through air and naval forces, the sources said. But securing the strait could also mean stationing US troops on Iran’s coast, four sources, including two US officials, said.
“The Trump administration has also discussed options to send ground forces to Iran’s Kharg Island, the hub for 90% of Iran’s oil exports,” Reuters added. “One of the officials said such an operation would be very dangerous. Iran has the ability to reach the island with missiles and drones.”
Dylan Williams, vice president for government affairs at the Center for International Policy, said Wednesday that “we’re seeing the Iran war become a real-time quagmire.”
“To ask American taxpayers to spend $50 billion on a war that Trump claims we’ve already won was pretty outrageous,” Williams said. “To quadruple that in a week shows a total lack of understanding or control over what he’s put us through.”
Foreign policy journalist Laura Rozen, author of the diplomatic newsletter Just Security, has written On Wednesday that “Trump erred on the side of what he thought would be a days-long ‘excursion’ as he calls it, perhaps Venezuela 2.0.”
“This was not what Israel had in mind, the army has hit all its targets,” Rozen added. “He has no idea what he’s doing, his intelligence and other aides have been assigned not to tell him anything he doesn’t want to hear; none of them can explain what the point is. Congress The Republicans they have their heads in the sand and now we’re talking about an additional $200 billion in Pentagon spending and potentially sending more ground troops.”
The Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, highlighted The Post’s reporting took to social media and called $200 billion “the tip of the iceberg.”
“Ordinary Americans can give thanks Benjamin Netanyahu and his lackeys in Congress for the trillion dollar “Israel first tax” that will hit the US economy,” he wrote.
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