Van Hollen and Khanna Press Democrats to Block Iran War Funds

The Washington Sun reported that Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware and Mark Warner of Virginia, and other Democrats were skeptical of risking a shutdown weeks after the midterms. Van Hollen has argued that responsibility would rest with President Donald Trump and Republicans if they refused a bill that funds the government but bars money for the war.

“If the president wants to tell the country that he’s prepared to shut down the United States government in order to conduct an illegal and senseless war in Iran, that will be his choice,” Van Hollen said. Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy and a former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders, likewise argued that Democrats would be proposing a government-funding bill, not shutting down the government.

Trump began the war in late February without congressional authorization and has used existing Pentagon appropriations to pay for it. The Pentagon estimates the cost at $47 billion, a figure outside experts describe as a dramatic undercount. The White House has asked Congress for a supplemental package containing tens of billions of dollars for the conflict, after administration officials had said it would last only weeks.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has not committed to backing restrictions, saying the details are for top Democratic appropriators Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Rosa DeLauro to resolve. DeLauro said Democrats would not fund the war, but the Washington Sun reported that neither she nor Murray had committed to making restrictions a condition of a December funding extension. Murray said Democrats were examining their options.

Khanna cited a Brown University tracker estimating the war has added more than $157 billion to US consumers’ gasoline and diesel costs. He called the midterm result “a cry for help by Americans who are in pain” and urged Democrats to bar funds for combat activities in the continuing resolution. Sen. Tim Kaine has also called for a provision prohibiting war funds without congressional authorization.