Emerging leader Sen. Chris Van Hollen says he is refusing to fund the government next month until the war is defunded.
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President Donald Trump’s war on Iran is so unpopular that even a majority of Republicans say they want the incoming Democratic majority in Congress to end it, new polling finds, as emerging leader on the effort Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) vows to take action even sooner.
According to Reuters/Ipsos polling released this week, 71 percent of Americans want the new Congress to pass legislation to end the Iran war, including 51 percent of Republicans and 93 percent of Democrats.
When asked what the priorities of the new Democratic majority should be in its first 100 days, 84 percent of respondents said that lawmakers should focus “a great deal,” “quite a bit,” or “some” on ending the war. This included 74 percent of Republicans and 97 percent of Democratic respondents. By contrast, only 25 percent of Republicans and 3 percent of Democrats said that lawmakers shouldn’t focus on ending the war “too much” or “at all,” the polling found.
The poll result is a monumental rebuke of Trump’s already historically unpopular war, which has been marked by the U.S.’s killing of civilians, record-high gas prices, and genocidal threats by President Donald Trump.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance have admitted that the Iran war was one of the top issues in last week’s election, playing a major role in delivering Democrats their historic majority in Congress. An impeachment push against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week has gained support from some Republicans due to the administration’s mishandling of the war.
Lawmakers wishing for an expedient end to the war could have an opportunity as soon as next month.
Van Hollen said in a video statement posted online on Tuesday that he will not vote for a government funding package unless it contains provisions to “defund” the war. The current government funding is slated to expire on December 11, and Democrats have the leverage in the Senate to block a funding bill from passing the 60-vote threshold.
“What’s the fastest way to end this war? To stop funding it, to stop giving it the fuel it needs to keep going,” said Van Hollen. “On December 11th, the funding for the U.S. government runs out. And we should not continue funding the war in Iran. If President Trump wants to tell the country that he’ll shut down the entire government, all federal agencies, in order to keep his illegal war going, that’s his decision.”
“Not a penny more,” Van Hollen concluded.
Van Hollen, who is a progressive favorite to challenge Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) for Senate leadership, advocated last week for a push akin to Congress’s efforts to end the Vietnam War by withholding funds and leveraging Congress’s power over war declarations.
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