Washington, D.C. — A new analysis from the Center for American Progress Action Fund examines why congressional Republicans are about to face a major reckoning during the August recess over the Iran War driving up costs for Americans.
Republican lawmakers who voted for $73 billion in war funding just last week are heading home to constituents who are paying more at the pump and the grocery store, backing a war effort that even many Republican voters do not support.
Just as the backlash against the Affordable Care Act defined the 2010 recess and reshaped that year’s elections, Republicans’ Iran War votes are poised to define this year’s midterms. As lawmakers return to their districts, they will find themselves increasingly out of step with voters who want relief from rising costs, not more spending on endless war.
More than two-thirds of Americans now disapprove of Trump’s handling of the Iran war, and 66 percent of Americans—including a majority of Republicans—believe that President Trump is more focused on the Iran War than on lowering costs for everyday Americans.
This money for war is a missed opportunity to help struggling Americans. For $73 billion, Congress could fund free school meals for all kids in America, which would save families $945 per child each year, and provide Medicaid coverage to more than 5 million people for one year.
Read the analysis: “No Recess from War: Trump’s Iran Escalation Haunts the GOP” by Colin Seeberger, Allison McManus, and Andrew Miller
For more information, or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].