The “No Funds for Iran War Act” bill, introduced in the House of Representatives on May 5, was initiated by people who know what war is. Co-chairs of the Democratic Veterans Caucus in the House drafted the bill to cut off all funding for this Iran war which Congress neither declared nor approved; 14 of the bill’s 18 sponsors are veterans.
All three co-chairs of the Democratic Veterans Caucus have signed onto the bill. Rep. Pat Ryan of New York, who drafted the bill, is a U.S. Army veteran who served two combat tours in Iraq, proud to be the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in the House. His lead co-sponsor, Rep. Chris DeLuzio of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate and an Iraq War veteran who deployed overseas three times. The third, Rep. Ted Lieu (CA), is a retired U.S. Air Force Colonel and a former Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps officer.
Representative DeLuzio told National Public Radio in an interview on Thursday, May 7 that he expects support for this bill will grow, “as more and more information comes out” about the real costs of the war, and anger mounts against the skyrocketing “massive economic costs we’re paying right at home…. Those two things put a lot of pressure on this President, who started this war recklessly,” he said, and the recognition that we should bring our troops home and “focus on investing right here in the country” will grow.
Although no Republicans have signed on yet, that may well come, too, he forecasts. “I think they don’t want to get their butts kicked come November. But that’s where things are pointing, because they’ve massive economic devastation here at home, a huge economic hit. And it’s not some academic thing. The American people understand that the President’s war in Iran has raised costs for people at home…. And if the Republicans are smart, they’d grow a little bit of courage and stand up to this President and stand up for their constituents and join us to put a stop to this war.”
