Republicans are grappling with how to deal with an expected $200 billion request for supplemental funding for the Iran war, weighing the demands from fiscal hawks and the willingness of the party to support President Trump as the GOP rules with a razor-thin majority in the House.
With Democrats expressing opposition to the $200 billion ask from the Pentagon to the White House, a request that has not been sent over to Congress, Republicans are looking to pass the request through the special budget reconciliation process, averting the need to have Democratic support for clearing the 60-vote threshold in the Senate.
"It needs to be paid for. We need to do the fiscally responsible thing," Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said on Thursday.
The U.S. has to "adequately fund defense," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said when asked if the proposed sum was too much for the war.
"I'm sure it will be detailed and specified. I'm sure it's not a random number, so we'll look at that," Johnson told reporters at the Capitol, emphasizing that "it's a dangerous time in the world."
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the request without confirming the official figure, stating that the "number could move" and that "it takes money to kill bad guys."
"So we're going back to Congress and our folks there to ensure that we're properly funded for what's been done, for what we may have to do in the future, ensure that our ammunition ––everything's refilled, and not just refilled, but above and beyond," Hegseth said during a briefing at the Pentagon.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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