Concord, N.H. – Today, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander joined 17 of her Democratic colleagues, including 14 fellow veterans and the Ranking Members of the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence Committees, in introducing a funding prohibition on military action against Iran.
For nine weeks, the Trump Administration has waged war in Iran without Congressional approval, which has cost at least $25 billion, killed 13 brave U.S. servicemembers, wounded hundreds more, and caused prices to skyrocket at home. The introduction also follows the Pentagon’s request for $1.5 trillion in funding for FY27 – not including a reported Iran War supplemental funding request of $200 billion.
The bill, No Funds for Iran War Act, would prohibit the use of additional taxpayer funds for military action against Iran in the absence of an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) or official declaration of war from Congress.
“We do not write blank checks for unauthorized wars in the United States of America,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “Our commonsense bill will restore the basic accountability and sanity that the American people need and deserve from our government.”
“The American people have been clear from the beginning: they want lower costs and no more forever wars. The Trump administration has spent nine weeks conducting an illegal war in Iran that has done the exact opposite – and every American is paying the price,” said Congressman Pat Ryan. “Their recklessness has killed 13 brave servicemembers, wounded hundreds more, cost at least $25 billion in taxpayer money, and sent gas prices skyrocketing here at home. Since Day 1, there has been no strategy or endgame. Not a single dollar more on this ill-conceived war.”
“Trump’s war of choice has achieved none of the administration’s stated objectives and has surpassed the president’s initial stated timeline of the conflict, which was supposed to last only a few weeks. Now that the president is moving the goal posts and twisting the 60-day requirements of the War Powers Act, Congress must take action. It is time for it to exercise its constitutional power of the purse,” said Rep. Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee.
The legislation is led by Congressman Pat Ryan (D-NY) and co-sponsored by House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA), House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-NY), House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Jim Himes (D-CT), and Goodlander’s fellow Democratic Veteran Representatives Ted Lieu (D-CA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Eugene Vindman (D-VA), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Derek Tran (D-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Herb Conaway (D-NJ), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and Bobby Scott (D-VA).
###
