House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday would not commit to blocking any additional funding for the war in Iran, saying the president has so far failed to justify the war but “we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.”
The New York Democrat was asked on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” whether House Democrats would move to block a funding request if the White House were to ask for more money for the military.
Jeffries said the administration has so far “failed to make its case ... for this war of choice in the Middle East,” and unless President Donald Trump provides a “compelling rationale,” he’s “going to have a difficult case to make on Capitol Hill.”
Congress last year approved a $900 billion defense spending bill as part of routine annual budget appropriations, and the president signed the bill into law in December. But since the U.S. began its military operation in Iran, lawmakers have been considering the need to pass additional defense spending to bolster the U.S. military.
On Tuesday, following a classified briefing for senators about the war, several lawmakers including Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., told reporters that they expect the Trump administration will ask for supplemental funding for the war effort. Coons added that he would support additional funding for troops, but, like Jeffries, he demanded more information from the administration about the war.
“I expect that the Pentagon will come forward with a supplemental request for funding, and I will continue to support our troops and to make sure we are making all the investments we can to keep them and their families safe,” Coons said. “But we need an open hearing, so that you and the American people can get questions answered about the failures in planning that led to some of the challenges, the losses and mistakes in this war so far.”
On Sunday, Jeffries told “Meet the Press,” that Trump “of course, has a responsibility, first and foremost, to make his case to the American people, which he’s failed to do.”
Officials in the Trump administration have not said whether they will request supplemental funding for the Pentagon, but they have floated invoking the Defense Production Act to compel American companies to boost the supply of munitions.
Jeffries and other Democratic lawmakers have largely been critical of the president’s decision to launch a war with Iran, calling for Trump to better explain his decision to strike the country.
“The American people don’t want to see billions of dollars being spent to bomb Iran and the Middle East, while at the same period of time, my Republican colleagues and this president are unwilling to spend a dime to lower their grocery bills, spend a dime to actually make it more affordable to go see a doctor or do anything about this affordability crisis that is very real in the United States of America,” the minority leader said Sunday.
Last week, both chambers of Congress failed to pass a war powers resolution that would have restricted military action in Iran. Most Democrats and two Republicans voted in favor of the resolution.
Jeffries on Sunday also spoke about the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, which began in February after Senate Democrats blocked funding for the agency and called for new rules for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On Thursday, Trump fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and said he intended to nominate Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., to fill the position. Democratic lawmakers said that move wasn’t going to compel them to relent on DHS funding, which Jeffries reiterated on Sunday.
“Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency. They’ve made an affirmative decision that they would rather shut down FEMA, shut down the Coast Guard and shut down TSA, as opposed to getting ICE under control,” Jeffries told “Meet the Press,” adding that firing Noem is “certainly not” enough of an action to move the needle on DHS funding.
“What we need is a change in policy, not simply a change in personnel,” he said.
