The Hill - The Democratic sweep that stunned much of Washington on Tuesday night could drastically shorten President Trump's runway to end the war in Iran, which even he conceded was a driving force in the election blowout.
When Democrats take control of the House and Senate in January, they will have new leverage over Pentagon spending, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) made clear that his party intends to use it.
"We are going to end the war," Schumer said at a press conference.
"We have some Republicans already who have joined us in ending the war, and the Founding Fathers had the power of the purse as one of the ways of deterring a president who does war without the consent of the American people," he continued.
The Trump administration has asked Congress for a $1.5 trillion defense budget for next year, including additional Pentagon spending through reconciliation. It has separately requested emergency funding to cover costs tied to the Iran war.
Some Republican lawmakers have reportedly begun talking about a year-end reconciliation bill that could include funding for the Iran war and several other GOP priorities.
That process could allow Republicans to approve the money without Democratic votes, but they have only a few weeks in session to agree on a package and get it through both chambers. They also have to address the Dec. 11 government funding deadline.
It's unclear how many Republican lawmakers are willing to vote for more war funding after Tuesday's losses. Both Trump and Vice President Vance said the war hurt their party at the polls.
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