Some Democrats don’t want to wait for January to block Trump’s war in Iran

Some Democrats don’t want to wait for January to block Trump’s war in Iran

Politico-Nov6th2026

Democrats will take control of Congress in January. Their first chance to burn President Donald Trump’s checkbook for the Iran war could come even sooner.

Lawmakers face a Dec. 11 deadline to extend federal funding or spark a government shutdown — just weeks before Republicans lose their majorities in the House and Senate. And after Democratic moderates and progressives alike campaigned successfully on ending the war in Iran, some in the party now say any year-end spending measure must block cash for the military conflict.

Democratic leaders have yet to announce whether they will try to use the moment to limit resources for Trump’s offensive, but the party’s top House appropriator isn’t ruling out a year-end fight.

“Democrats will absolutely not fund Trump’s war of choice with Iran that has increased costs on American families and made us less safe,” Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro said Thursday in a statement to POLITICO.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — on tap to become speaker next year — said in a statement, “we will have a leadership conversation” with DeLauro “about Donald Trump’s reckless and costly war of choice in Iran.”

But, he added, “it is clear from this election that the American people are demanding accountability and an end to the war.”

At least two potential presidential candidates in 2028 are pushing Democrats to play hardball with Republicans, using their influence with the Democratic base.

“I agree that the reason Republicans lost is the Iran war,” Rep. Ro Khanna said on social media Wednesday. He argued that Congress should “end the Iran war like we did for Vietnam,” referring to a 1973 move to cut off funding for military operations in southeast Asia.

The California Democrat, whose allies just launched a “Run Ro” committee to raise money for a potential presidential bid, also called on Democrats to support a stopgap funding patch in December that would bar federal dollars for “any combat activities of the U.S. military in Iran.”

“No capitulating,” said another presumptive presidential contender, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, in an interview with The Bulwark this week. He urged Democrats to “stand strong” on blocking Iran war funding, adding that the party was “in a position now where nobody should be afraid anymore” given its “massive majorities” in Congress