Democrats Threaten Government Shutdown to Defund Iran War

Congressional Democrats are leveraging a December 11 funding deadline to force Donald Trump to end military hostilities in Iran. A coalition of Senate Democrats, including Bernie Sanders, Chris Van Hollen, Tammy Duckworth, and Michael Bennett, announced they will block any short-term spending deal that does not explicitly ban funding for the conflict, which they characterize as a war of choice.

While some lawmakers are willing to risk a government shutdown, party leaders like Patty Murray and Hakeem Jeffries are weighing the political costs of such a move. Some Democrats are discussing a strategy to seek a stopgap funding bill extending into March or April to avoid a shutdown and focus on an affordability agenda after taking majorities in January. However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has described the conflict as one of the greatest foreign policy fiascos in American history, and Senator Patty Murray stated the president will not receive the nearly $70 billion requested to bankroll the war.

Republicans remain divided on the issue. While Senate Majority Leader John Thune urged Democrats to focus on affordability over ideological goals, Senator Rand Paul warned that financing the war would ignore the reasons for recent midterm election losses. Other Republicans, including John Kennedy and Thom Tillis, have clashed over whether to pursue a budget reconciliation bill to secure military funding before January.

President Donald Trump has remained firm, stating that the naval blockade of Iran will continue and that the United States does not need a deal with Iran.