Trump may need billions for the Iran war. Congress stands in the way.
Trump may need billions for the Iran war. Congress stands in the way.
Zachary Schermele, USA TODAYSat, March 7, 2026 at 11:03 AM UTC
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WASHINGTON – Capitol Hill is bracing for an imminent ask from President Donald Trump for billions in emergency cash to fund the escalating war with Iran.
A week into the conflict, congressional leaders, including the top Republican appropriators in the Senate and House of Representatives, have publicly said a request is almost certainly on its way. Yet exactly how much money the White House will want, when Trump will demand it and what Republicans may do to sweeten the deal are open questions.
One thing's for sure, though: If he wants more money, Trump will have to go through at least some Democrats.
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They already seem divided about what they could do. Some, including progressives such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, are pledging to vote no before seeing any such ask, arguing the Pentagon is flush with cash after the passage of the "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" and an annual defense spending bill of over $830 billion.
"The Republicans have already given $1 trillion to the military," Warren told USA TODAY. "No one knows how much money is sloshing around over there and where it's being spent."
Others, such as Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, have said they more specifics before making a decision.
"I'd have to look at what they're asking for," he told USA TODAY.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) looks on during a press conference on December 14, 2025.
The extent to which that split widens – or disappears – will be a crucial variable over the coming weeks in determining whether the all-but-certain supplemental funding bill could survive both the razor-thin margin in the House of Representatives and, more importantly, the Senate's 60-vote threshold (Republicans in the upper chamber hold 53 out of 100 seats).
The infighting among lawmakers will only grow more fraught as the regional war intensifies, potentially putting U.S. troops at greater risk and raising the stakes Congress to ensure they have the resources they need.
At the same time, polling shows Americans are largely sour on the conflict. As it gets bloodier, public pressure may grow in the opposite direction, prompting lawmakers to push more fiercely toward de-escalation rather than reaching deeper into the government's coffers.
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It's all happening during a midterm election year, when votes taken by members of Congress are always heavily scrutinized.
Though it just started, the war could cost taxpayers as much as $1 billion a day, according to some estimates, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, the most senior Democrat in the House, told USA TODAY. While he wouldn't telegraph how he'd vote on a supplemental war funding bill, he said that regardless of how much additional money the Trump administration asks for, it's "going to be a big number."
"I'm not going to prejudge what I'm going to do," he said.
A push to attach farm aid?
Sixth-generation farmer Roger Schultz talks about the negative effects tariffs will have on his operation in North East, Pennsylvania, on April 4, 2025. The Schultz Farm sells apples to a food bank and supplies local school districts, which are now losing funding.
The extent of Democratic (and Republican) support for any war cash influx could hinge on how big the legislation becomes. Anytime a must-pass bill sweeps through Congress, it could balloon as other policy priorities are added to it.
A senior GOP aide told USA TODAY that Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas, the Republican chair of the Senate committee overseeing agriculture, is looking to advance a farm assistance package that could be attached to a supplemental defense spending bill. Squeezed by Trump's sweeping tariffs and broader market disruptions, producers of major crops have been pleading with farm-state lawmakers in Congress for help.
Read more: Republicans are beefing with Trump over beef
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks with the media on the day of classified briefings for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on the situation in Iran on March 3, 2026.
No potential add-ons are set in stone yet, though. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, and other GOP congressional leaders are keeping their options open for how to approach additional defense spending as they await further direction from the Pentagon and White House.
“There are more details to be determined, of course, how long the operation goes and what the need is," Johnson told reporters on March 3 after a briefing on the situation in the Middle East.
In the halls of the Capitol the next day, he said a war funding bill would only pass "when it's appropriate and we have the right amount."
Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Congress stands between Trump and emergency cash for the Iran war
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