Vote no on any supplemental spending package for the Iran war. The Pentagon is reportedly seeking $200 billion on top of the $150 billion it already received last year — and Congress is still waiting for a basic accounting of how that first tranche was spent. Rep. Betty McCollum is right: this cannot be a rubber stamp.
The federal deficit is already projected at $1.9 trillion this year, and the national debt has blown past $39 trillion. Hegseth's answer at his March 19 press conference — "it takes money to kill bad guys" — is not a strategy, and it is not a budget justification. Congress never authorized this war. Before a single additional dollar goes to the Pentagon, demand a full accounting of prior spending, a clear statement of military objectives, and a formal authorization vote. Anything less is an abdication of Congress's constitutional role.