Trump Wants Another $350 Billion to Prolong the War in Iran
The Trump-Vance Administration’s war with Iran has already imposed enormous costs on American taxpayers and families – with no end in sight and no clear plan from the president to end the conflict. Instead, the administration is seeking a historic increase in defense spending, including an additional $350 billion request that Republicans in Congress are expected to take up shortly after the midterm election to prolong this disastrous conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to threaten renewed airstrikes against Iran following the midterm elections, even as the conflict spreads across the region – including escalating fighting between the Houthis in Yemen and Saudi Arabia that recently claimed the life of an American.
All of this comes as American families are struggling to make ends meet, squeezed by rising prices and the mounting costs of tariffs and war. Here's how our community should talk about this consequential and often overlooked debate just weeks before the midterm elections:
Talking Points:
The Iran war has already cost American families $2,000 per household. That's an enormous financial burden on working families already struggling to fill up their tanks, put food on the table, and keep up with rising prices.
The Trump Administration is demanding another $350 billion in Pentagon spending – the equivalent of roughly $1,300 for every American adult. Trump’s requested funding – which would contribute to the largest defense budget of all time – would be used to extend a costly and unnecessary conflict that the American people overwhelmingly oppose.
In addition to the war’s immediate cost, inflation has cost the average household more than $3,300 since Trump took office. This administration’s reckless war has driven up the cost of gas, groceries, and goods Americans depend upon.
Trump is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on wars overseas while cutting critical programs here at home. The Trump-Vance Administration has already cut hundreds of billions of dollars from the valuable, necessary programs that hardworking Americans depend on to get by – including Medicaid, food assistance, rental assistance, and help with household energy bills.
Trump is laying the groundwork to ramp up the war shortly after the midterm elections. Trump has repeatedly indicated that fighting could resume after Election Day, forcing the American people to foot an even larger bill for this war they don’t want.
We must reject another blank check for endless wars. The American people cannot afford more of Trump’s disastrous conflicts – and we must do everything in our power to avoid handing this administration another blank check to wage costly, unnecessary wars overseas.
Published: October 2026