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Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa, on proposed legislation to cut off funding for Iran war

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Posted on May 7, 2026

NPR’s Leila Fadel speaks with Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, one of 18 lawmakers backing new legislation that would cut off funding for the war in Iran.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania joins me now. He’s an Iraq war veteran who cochairs the Democratic Veterans Caucus and sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Congressman, good morning. And thank you for being on the program.

CHRIS DELUZIO: Good morning. Thanks for having me on.

FADEL: So I want to start with new reporting from The Washington Post that Iranian strikes have actually caused more severe damage on U.S. military bases in the Middle East than the Trump administration has disclosed. Their reporting, which NPR has not independently confirmed, found bombed-out infrastructure and equipment. And as I mentioned, you sit on the House Armed Services Committee. So has the administration informed you of the extent of this damage?

DELUZIO: The simple answer is they haven’t. You know, we heard, when Pete Hegseth testified in front of us, just last week for the very first time any estimate of the cost of this war. They said 25 billion, which is a lot of money. And in fact, most experts think they underestimated by a lot. And they didn’t get into details, but this new reporting, it tells me the damage is much, much worse, on top of the operational costs.

And those are billions and billions of dollars that this president is spending in a war that the American people and the Congress never authorized. Let’s spend money at home, health care, child care, you name it. These are the kinds of choices we should be making. I just disagree. I think the American people disagree with what this president is doing.

FADEL: Now, let’s stick to the funding of this war, the question of funding. You’re among 18 Democrats in Congress backing new legislation called the No Funds for Iran War Act. What would this bill do if passed?

DELUZIO: The bill is very straightforward. It would say that there can be no money spent, no public money spent on this Iran war unless the Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force. And I’m sure your listeners know the Congress hasn’t done either of those things. And we’re just laying down a very clear marker. We’re not going to pay for this war.

We’re not going to spend billions of dollars for this war unless you come to the Congress and the Congress says yes. And I think at this point, the Congress wouldn’t do that. I think Democrats have largely been together to say, let’s spend money here at home. Let’s have some Republicans join us and put a stop to this.

FADEL: Now, past efforts to stop funding for the war have all failed. Do you think this one has a better chance of passing, and if you do, why?

DELUZIO: Well, I think, as more and more information comes out – like the reporting you just talked about, about the extent of the damage – and you see that alongside the massive economic costs we’re paying right at home. You talk to my constituents in Pennsylvania, when they fill up their tanks, they’re seeing it. You talk to any business that’s reliant on diesel or the inputs of any kind of oil costs, they’re getting pounded, too. And so I think those two things put a lot of pressure on this president, who started this war recklessly. And I think there’s a growing recognition we put a stop to this war, bring our troops home. Let’s focus on investing right here in this country. That’s what folks, I think, want us to do.

FADEL: When you say there’s a growing recognition, are you saying your Republican colleagues are coming on board?

DELUZIO: Well, we’ll see. I mean, 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. It’s as simple as that. 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.

FADEL: If this were to pass – I mean, you’re a veteran. If this were to pass, what would it mean for service personnel who are serving hazardous tours overseas if the funding just stops?

DELUZIO: Well, I think there’s something that’s pretty central here. You know, I served in uniform in the Middle East. I’m a veteran of the war in Iraq. Folks who sign up to serve, that’s an act of patriotism. And you don’t squander that patriotism by asking them to risk their lives needlessly. And I think this war is a war we don’t need to fight. I think it signals to the American people, respect their service. And we’re not going to ask them to risk their lives for something that we don’t have to be asking them to fight for. That’s what this war is, I think, to the American people and to me. And it signals pretty strongly that we’re going to support our troops by bringing them home and not risking their lives needlessly.

FADEL: If the bill doesn’t pass, what other options are you and other Democrats prepared to explore to stop this war that you’re against?

DELUZIO: We will continue to push war powers resolutions, which have been close in the House and pretty close in the Senate, to put a stop to the war and tell the president that Congress is urging and demanding that the war end. And we’ll continue to find ways, if need be, on the spending side. You know, the Congress does control the power of the purse.

The Defense Department came in front of us last week asking for more than a trillion new dollars of defense spending, while telling us that they’re asking the American people to spend on top of that in a supplemental request for Donald Trump’s Iran war. So we will continue to find ways to stand up for the American people and our troops and try to put a stop to this, whether it’s the spending power or war powers resolutions or anything else we can do to keep our national security strong and, frankly, keep our economy stronger here at home, despite what Donald Trump is trying to do.

FADEL: Democratic Congressman Chris Deluzio sits on the House Armed Services Committee. Thank you for your time.

DELUZIO: Thank you.

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