California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff whined this week about the “cost” of the Iran war as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to choke off Iran’s economy.
“We are now in the second month of Trump’s Iran war, and we have already tragically lost 13 service members, including one chief warrant officer, Robert Marzan, from my home state of California. We are now in the second month of Trump’s Iran war and more than 200 service members have been injured, some very seriously,” Schiff said during a speech on the U.S. Senate floor.
“We are now in the second month of Trump’s Iran war, and we have already had two American pilots shot down over Iran, necessitating a rescue under extremely dangerous conditions. A heroic rescue, a daring rescue, and one that was only possible because we have the most capable special forces in the world. But a rescue mission that we must all acknowledge put an incredible number of our service members at grave risk and could have easily gone wrong,” Schiff added.
Schiff whined, ” We are now in the second month of Trump’s Iran war, and we have squandered tens of billions of dollars that could have been used to build hospitals and affordable housing, to build childcare centers and senior centers at a time when the president says we can’t afford daycare or Medicare or Medicaid. We are now in the second month of Trump’s Iran war, and Americans are paying astronomical prices at the gas pump, at the grocery store, on their utility bills, and for medical bills.”
“But the president’s actions and inaction are only making life more unaffordable for our citizens. We are now in the second month of Trump’s Iran war, and the president has offered no proposal to even authorize the use of force in Iran, nor have Republicans demanded one. We have not had a single open hearing on the war, nor have Republicans called for one,” the Democrat continued.
“The case for the war in Iran has never been made, will never be made, and my colleagues will not put the matter to a vote for fear they will lose that vote or be held accountable for it,” he concluded.
WATCH:
The Trump administration said just hours before a crucial deadline that the war in Iran is practically “over” because of the current ceasefire. This assertion also pauses a very important deadline for Congress to approve ongoing activities in the fight.
The War Powers Resolution gave President Donald Trump 60 days, until Friday, May 1, to either cease the war in Iran or get Congress’s permission to keep it going.
A high-ranking person in the administration told the Associated Press that the U.S. and Iran have not fired at each other since April 7 and that the fighting has stopped.
A U.S. official also told Reuters: “For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated.”
Earlier Thursday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth argued that the ceasefire paused the 60-day clock.
“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” he said during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“I do not believe the statute would support that,” Democratic Senator Tim Kaine replied. “I think the 60 days runs maybe tomorrow, and it’s going to pose a really important legal question for the administration there.”
Senate Democrats also tried — and failed — for a sixth time to end the Iran war by forcing a War Powers Resolution vote Thursday.
Republican Senators Susan Collins and Rand Paul joined nearly every Democrat in supporting the measure.
