Voices against the United States’ military campaign against Iran grew louder over the weekend as Republican and Democratic lawmakers argued it was leaving Americans to bear mounting military, economic and human costs.
Leading the Republican criticism was Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the few Republicans to openly challenge President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict.
“The U.S. has been significantly weakened by the war with Iran,” Massie wrote on X.
“This administration depleted our missile defenses, drained our oil reserves, sacrificed our men & women, inflated the price of consumer goods, increased our debt, and neglected our domestic needs… all for Israel.”
The Wall Street Journal and CBS News reported this week that senior military officials had warned the White House about declining inventories of air defence interceptors and precision-guided munitions, raising fresh questions about the campaign’s longer-term cost.
Trump rejected those reports.
“We have far more munitions than anyone in the world, and far more than we need,” he told The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.
Democrats, meanwhile, sharpened their own attacks, portraying the campaign as both illegal and increasingly costly for American taxpayers.
Representative Becca Balint of Vermont criticised House Republicans’ latest budget bill, saying it allocated more than $70 billion for what she described as Trump’s “illegal war of choice in Iran.”
“Does it do anything to lower your costs? Nope!” she wrote.
Representative Nanette Barragán of California argued that Americans should not have to “foot the bill for Trump’s war on Iran or billionaires’ tax cuts.”
The United States and Iran have now gone three consecutive nights without direct strikes against one another, while diplomatic efforts involving regional mediators have gathered momentum.
Few officials, however, appear convinced the lull will prove durable. Trump has repeatedly said the United States remains prepared to resume military operations if negotiations fail, while Tehran has continued to warn of retaliation should attacks restart.
Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey linked the conflict to rising fuel prices and growing pressure on US military resources.
“Gas is at $4 a gallon, our military resources are depleted, and none of Trump’s stated goals have been achieved,” Pallone wrote after voting in favour of a War Powers Resolution seeking to end the conflict.
“Our vote sent Trump a clear message: the American people are FED UP with this illegal war.”