Van Hollen urges Congress to cut off Iran war funding
Sen. Chris Van Hollen called on Congress to cut funding for the Iran war after reports the Pentagon is sending a third carrier and up to about 10,000 more troops. He labeled the conflict an “illegal war of choice.” Taxpayers already face a multi-billion-dollar monthly tab without a dedicated war appropriation.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said Friday that Congress must cut off funding for the Iran war as President Donald Trump weighs expanding the fight. “The President, who continues to hide service member casualties, is now sending up to another 10,000 troops to his illegal war of choice in Iran,” Van Hollen wrote on X, per Anadolu Agency. “When Trump says he’s planning on renewing his war next month, believe him.”
The remarks followed Wall Street Journal reporting, amplified by Anadolu, that the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group left San Diego with roughly 9,000 to 10,000 personnel and could arrive by late November. Reason’s Gene Healy argues the cleaner congressional lever is the power of the purse: the war has passed seven months and cost more than $40 billion, paid from other Pentagon accounts at about $2 billion to $3 billion a month, without a specific appropriation. A supplemental request has sat in the Senate since the House folded it into a budget resolution; war-powers withdrawal votes have failed repeatedly, including a recent 49–50 Senate miss. On CNN in July, Van Hollen said he would not vote for one penny for what he called this illegal, senseless war, and that Congress should use the power of the purse to stop more funding.
For households, the stake is whether Congress keeps writing blank-check readiness money into an undeclared war while diesel and grocery costs stay elevated. Responsible Statecraft has pressed the same defund frame, with Van Hollen arguing that appropriating a large Epic Fury supplemental would retroactively bless what he calls an illegal war. Watch the supplemental calendar after midterms, any formal casualty accounting, and whether appropriators attach Iran restrictions to year-end funding bills.
What we know:
Van Hollen urged a funding cutoff; a third carrier and thousands of troops are moving toward the region; Reason cites $40B-plus spent without a dedicated appropriation.
What we don’t:
Whether the Senate will pass, block, or ignore the Epic Fury supplemental, or how many service-member casualties remain undisclosed.
Where outlets agree Anadolu and Reason agree Van Hollen is pushing Congress to starve Iran-war funding as a third carrier and thousands more troops head to the region.
Where they differ Van Hollen calls the war illegal and unauthorized while the administration treats ongoing operations as within presidential wartime authority while seeking supplemental cash.