Editorial: When it comes to war in Iran, Congress must wield power of the purse

The Seattle Times editorial board, The Seattle Times on Jul 23, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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The war in Iran is nearing the five-month mark, and during that time at least 17 U.S. service members have been killed and more than 400 injured. Still, for the war President Donald Trump said would take “a few days,” there is not only no end in sight, but the stated objectives have yet to be accomplished.

That’s because Trump bypassed the War Powers Act that grants Congress oversight power for wars when he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

Some experts put the war tab at about $75 billion, though White House budget director Russell Vought said last month the total was around $30 billion. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth put it at $37 billion.

And now the Pentagon is asking Congress for more money — an immediate infusion of $67 billion for the war and a total of $1.5 trillion for its 2027 budget.

The entire budget supplemental request is $88 billion, which includes line items for funds to aid U.S. farmers and fight Ebola in Africa. But it also includes $800 million to pay to keep the National Guard on patrol in Washington, D.C.

Though Trump and Hegseth have said they didn’t need Congress to authorize a war, Hegseth reiterated that at Tuesday’s hearing — the very hearing in which he begged Congress for billions of dollars. And though Trump and Hegseth may have sidestepped Congress’s power to approve war, Congress still holds the purse strings.

“This president says we can’t afford healthcare. We can’t afford childcare. We can’t afford housing. But somehow we can always afford another war. No price tag on that,” U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, said at the hearing on the Pentagon’s request. “Families in Washington state are skipping doctor’s visits so they can afford groceries — and Trump wants Congress to cut him a blank check for a war no one supports,” the Washington Democrat said.

Indeed, Congress members should refrain from throwing good money after bad in an unnecessary war while the basic daily needs of their constituents go unmet.

Congress should help Trump honor his own campaign promise of no more “endless wars.”

It should honor the will of the American people who, according to polls, 69% of whom are against the war. And Congress should honor the Constitution, even if Trump refuses to, and demand any future military action have its approval with the strategy moving forward to include renewed negotiations with experienced negotiators.

For Congress to contribute billions more to this unapproved war of choice would make it complicit in Trump’s scheme to diminish the power of Constitution and the prescribed role of each branch of government.

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The Seattle Times editorial board: members are editorial page editor Kate Riley, Ryan Blethen, Melissa Davis, Josh Farley, Alex Fryer, Claudia Rowe, Carlton Winfrey, Frank A. Blethen (emeritus) and William K. Blethen (emeritus).

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