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Top Republican signals Iran supplemental may be coming
Politico ^ | 3/3/2026 | Joe Gould

Posted on 03/03/2026 8:09:43 AM PST by Miami Rebel

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker said Tuesday that lawmakers are considering whether the Pentagon may need additional funding as questions grow over U.S. munitions supplies and the strain of ongoing U.S. strikes on Iran.

The cost of the operations are likely to surface at the Trump administration’s briefing later in the day for both chambers of Congress. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine are expected to brief lawmakers amid widespread Democratic opposition.

“Well, we’re talking about that, and that will undoubtedly be discussed at the all-members brief this week, hopefully today, and if something is needed, and if they make a case for it, I’ll be receptive to their arguments,” said Wicker (R-Miss.).

Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday said appropriators have asked administration officials whether supplemental funding is needed to cover the costs of munitions and military operations in the Middle East that weren’t originally in the budget.

Eyeing stockpiles: The comments came as lawmakers are questioning officials about stockpiles of key air and missile defense systems, including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, known as THAAD, and the Patriot missile defense system. Both are designed to intercept incoming ballistic missiles and protect U.S. embassies, military bases and personnel.

Wicker said offensive and defensive weapons supplies are “in very good shape,” but lead Democrats warned that stockpiles may already be strained.

“There is no question that, not only our intelligence, but public testimony has indicated there is a shortage of interceptors that are vital for the defense systems, the THAADs and other munitions that are necessary for protecting American assets,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).

“There is a potential desperate and disastrous shortage of THAAD and Patriot systems that are necessary to protect our embassies, our bases, our civilians, and that is truly a potential disaster in the making,” he added.

Still at sea: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) pointed to the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, likely to be one of the longest in decades, as evidence of the mounting strain operationally, but also on military families. The ship was initially to deploy for about seven months, but could now remain at sea for roughly 11 months.

“You traditionally bring a ship back, and then you’re going to do the maintenance on the boat,” Kaine said, warning of “all kinds of maintenance issues on that ship of the kind that you get when you’re overrunning it.”


TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: iran; joegould; politico; pollutico; tds; tdsposter
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1 posted on 03/03/2026 8:09:43 AM PST by Miami Rebel
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To: Miami Rebel

Like I suspected for a couple months.
Ukraine push was designed to deplete our weapons reserves.


2 posted on 03/03/2026 8:13:48 AM PST by Zathras
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To: Zathras

Yes, for some of us it was obvious very shortly after the war started.


3 posted on 03/03/2026 8:16:25 AM PST by Skwor
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To: Miami Rebel
Lets see if Dems refuse to stand up AGAIN for their country.

Whatever our troops need for success.

4 posted on 03/03/2026 8:17:44 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: Miami Rebel

They will certainly need funding for three F-15s.


5 posted on 03/03/2026 8:21:46 AM PST by pfflier
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To: Miami Rebel

Democrats are really hoping big time that this operation ends badly. They will do their best to not help or fund it. They are absolutely despicable.


6 posted on 03/03/2026 8:22:50 AM PST by volare737 ( Diversity is something to be overcome, not celebrated. )
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To: pfflier

We should send a bill ($300 million) to Kuwait for those F15s.....3 x $100 million.


7 posted on 03/03/2026 8:30:59 AM PST by volare737 ( Diversity is something to be overcome, not celebrated. )
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To: Miami Rebel

Ukraine has it all. Thanks, Biden. You idiot.


8 posted on 03/03/2026 8:32:01 AM PST by roving
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To: Sacajaweau

“...Lets see if Dems refuse to stand up AGAIN for their country....”

It’s NOT “their” country, it’s ours. They may have been born here, but the silly, stupid basstids are NOT Americans.
These vile, godless, fricken’ communists have no claim on America and should not be allowed near the “levers of power’ of anything, including lawn mowers, let alone government of any kind.
The putrid, anti-American SOBs should all be arrested and whisked off to GITMO to face a military tribunal for teason, insurrenction, etc..... Spit.


9 posted on 03/03/2026 8:33:49 AM PST by lgjhn23 ("On the 8th day, Satan created the progressive liberal to destroy all the good that God created...")
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To: Zathras
It certainly did not help. That conflict was a mistake of major proportion that should have never been allowed to go to the kinetic stage.

Sadly, Zeepers still refuse to understand or accept that salient point.

The losses will never justify the reality that would be realized for not stopping this conflict. One only needs to look at how those in charge viewed the situation.

They all exclaimed that it was the best money they had ever spent, and that they would stand by Ukraine until the final Ukrainaian standing. Without question, they were going on the premise that the proxy war was the planned goal all along, and that Russian military erosion was the inspired reason to use Ukraine as the battlefield & the Ukrainian men the combaant, to keep the U.S. out of harms way.

Ukraine would have been much better off now, had they just complied with the request to remain neutral and not become a NATO nation. In addition, so would we be now.

10 posted on 03/03/2026 8:41:02 AM PST by Robert DeLong
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To: volare737

Most of them deserve the same legal fate as the Rosenbergs ⚡


11 posted on 03/03/2026 8:41:56 AM PST by MachIV
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To: roving

“Ukraine has it all. Thanks, Biden. You idiot.”

Not all Biden. Republicans in Congress supported Ukraine. Despite all his rhetoric, when push came to shove Trump continued the military aid to Ukraine when he took office.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/trump-sends-weapons-ukraine-numbers

The article linked below explains the flow of advanced weapons continues from the US to Ukraine, paid for by NATO allies. Note that this program is providing the majority of the missiles used in Ukraine’s air defense systems.

“Trump has allowed the sale of U.S. weapons to Ukraine through a plan known as the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), in which NATO allies pay for U.S. weapons and transfer them to Ukraine. The program is providing advanced U.S. weapons such as Patriot missiles and is supplying the majority of the missiles used in Ukraine’s air defense systems.”

https://www.cfr.org/articles/how-much-us-aid-going-ukraine


12 posted on 03/03/2026 8:47:12 AM PST by Soul of the South (The past is gone and cannot be changed. Tomorrow can be a better day if we work on it.)
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To: Miami Rebel

Still not a word about eliminating the zombie filibuster and getting the SAVE Act passed. The Senate GOP is going to smother it and watch happily as the Democrats take over and end all filibusters once and for all. Manchin and Sinema kept them from doing it when the Democrats last held power but both are gone now.


13 posted on 03/03/2026 8:54:54 AM PST by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: Miami Rebel

How many of them are going to carry a rifle and die for Israel?


14 posted on 03/03/2026 9:01:15 AM PST by nonliberal (Russia is not my enemy.)
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To: Miami Rebel

Sure, you can throw money at defense contractors - but if they don’t have the production base, the skilled technical workers, the raw materials and minerals - how much really can they ramp-up production?

That’s exactly what DOGE, attempts at education reform, and especially Trump’s tariffs have been about - stop wasting money on bloated marxist government, and stop sending our human and productive capital overseas.


15 posted on 03/03/2026 9:16:11 AM PST by PGR88
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To: Miami Rebel
On the tv show Golden Girls, there is an episode where the ladies travel to Los Angeles to appear on a game show called ‘Grab That Dough!’

This is like that.

The Uniparty and the taxpayers are in one interminably long episode of ‘Grab That Dough!’

16 posted on 03/03/2026 9:17:09 AM PST by yelostar
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To: Zathras; Skwor; roving; Soul of the South
GLob-DK0-Wk-AAw-SSw

Remember this? Half of Congress are like trained performing seals.

Don't expect a lot of wisdom, forethought, or deep analysis.

17 posted on 03/03/2026 9:23:01 AM PST by PGR88
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To: All

Pass whatever supplemental you like.

If the Chinese won’t sell the neodymium magnets, at any price, the weapons cannot be built. Depleting inventory stays depleted. For 10+ yrs.


18 posted on 03/03/2026 9:41:38 AM PST by Owen
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To: lgjhn23

Democrats are loudly and clearly siding with Iran in this operation (as usual).


19 posted on 03/03/2026 9:42:44 AM PST by volare737 ( Diversity is something to be overcome, not celebrated. )
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To: Miami Rebel

What? A vitamin and mineral cocktail?


20 posted on 03/03/2026 10:01:22 AM PST by Seruzawa ("The political left is the Garden of Eden of incompetence." -Marx the Smarter (Groucho.))
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