Congress Receives $88 Billion Iran War Package as E15 Provision Splits Senate Republicans
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 25
Congress Receives $88 Billion Iran War Package as E15 Provision Splits Senate Republicans
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 25
Summary
$88 billion in supplemental funding reached Congress on Wednesday, with $67 billion for the Pentagon, including $21 billion to refill missile stocks depleted in Operation Epic Fury and $17 billion for military operations.
The request also seeks $672 million to remove Iranian nuclear materials, support IAEA inspections and expand U.S. verification and anti-smuggling efforts as Washington and Tehran try to turn a ceasefire-era MOU into a fuller nuclear deal.
Senate Democrats signaled strong resistance to the package, which needs 60 votes, with Chris Murphy calling it designed to repel Democratic support and Chuck Schumer rejecting another "blank check" for Trump.
An E15 gasoline provision bundled with $11 billion in farm aid could also complicate passage by dividing Republicans, with John Thune backing year-round sales while John Barrasso warns it would hurt small refiners.
The package came in far below earlier projections of up to $200 billion, but its mix of war replenishment, domestic sweeteners and energy policy leaves its path through the Senate uncertain.