US Senate Democrats pledge to block war funding with Iran in the spending package

Ultimatum from four senators

Four senators aligned with the Democratic Party — Michael Bennet, Bernie Sanders, Chris Van Hollen and Tammy Duckworth — announced that they will not accept a year-end spending deal unless it limits President Donald Trump's ability to continue the war against Iran. This was reported by Anadolu citing their joint statement.

Arguments and demands

“The American people have been extremely clear: we must end Trump's illegal and catastrophic war with Iran,” the senators' statement reads. They argue that the war has driven up the cost of gasoline, groceries and fertilizer, and that more than 20 American service members have been killed and hundreds wounded — “without achieving a single one of Trump's stated goals, while inflicting harm on civilians across the region.”

Budget deadline of December 11

With the funding deadline of December 11 approaching, the senators said Congress must not accept a short-term deal that allocates “billions of additional dollars” for Trump's “war of choice.” In their view, any such package must include language prohibiting the administration from using the appropriated funds to continue the war. “When we vote on appropriations, we intend to fund the government and stop funding this war,” the statement says. The senators also invoked the experience of Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, warning that wars “can last for decades,” damage the economy, drain military resources and leave Americans less protected. The statement followed a letter from Bennet urging his Senate colleagues to block any spending package containing additional military appropriations.

Trump's response

Separately, Trump, on his Truth Social account, called on Senate leadership to “immediately” advance a $350 billion reconciliation bill for the military. He claimed that he rebuilt the military during his first term and is doing it “again, bigger and better than ever.” According to him, the “radical Democrat majority in the next Congress” has made blocking these investments its “number one agenda item,” leaving the troops “weak and defenseless.” “Republicans must do their duty to our warriors. Democrats will never do it. The time is now,” he wrote.

What lies behind the standoff

The situation boils down to a classic budget standoff: Democrats hold leverage in the form of the December 11 government funding deadline, and they are trying to use it to legally constrain military action against Iran through appropriations conditions. It remains unknown whether the administration and Republicans are willing to accept restrictive language, and how funding will be resolved if no agreement is reached by the deadline.