“A TOTAL FIASCO,” AS WAR IN IRAN REACHES SIXTH MONTH, CONGRESSMAN PAT RYAN BLASTS REPUBLICANS ENABLING TRUMP’S COSTLY, DEADLY WAR; ESCALATES CALL TO FIRE PETE HEGSETH

"A Total Fiasco," as War in Iran Reaches Sixth Month, Congressman Pat Ryan Blasts Republicans Enabling Trump's Costly, Deadly War; Escalates Call to Fire Pete Hegseth

Congressman Ryan has been the leading voice of opposition to Trump's war in Iran; he sits on the House Armed Services Committee, is the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in Congress, and served two combat tours in Iraq earning him two Bronze Stars

After a March 1st Iranian drone strike killed 6 U.S. servicemembers in Kuwait, Ryan blasted Secretary Hegseth face to face for putting troops in danger, refusing to take accountability, and then calling survivors of the horrific attack liars

As the war in Iran reaches its sixth month - with 18 brave U.S. servicemembers killed and billions in taxpayer dollars spent - Ryan is continuing to demand Hegseth's resignation and fighting to pass his No Funds for Iran War Act

WASHINGTON, DC - Today marks six months since Trump launched his war in Iran. Throughout the course of the war, Congressman Pat Ryan - who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, is the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in Congress, and served two combat tours in Iraq earning him two Bronze Stars - has been the leading voice of opposition to the costly, deadly war in Iran. As the administration continues its war with no strategy, Ryan is escalating his calls to end the war and for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to resign.

"From Day 1 of this reckless war in Iran, Trump and Hegseth have lied to and betrayed the American people on every level. They lied about the timeline, lied about the cost, and left hardworking Americans to foot the bill for a war they never wanted in the first place," said Congressman Pat Ryan. "18 brave American Patriots have died because of their utter incompetence, and hundreds more have been injured while their families are left in the dark. The entire war has been a total fiasco - and instead of ending it, the chickenhawk President and unfit SecDef are doubling down on a losing strategy. I'm going to keep fighting everyday, with every fiber of my being, to end this war, bring our troops home, and hold everyone accountable - especially Hegseth - for this historic disaster."

In the first week of the war, President Donald Trump said it would take "four to five weeks" to achieve the war's objectives. Six months later, 18 brave U.S. servicemembers have been killed - 6 of whom were knowingly sent to an unfortified position and denied additional protection - at least 750 more have been injured, and zero objectives have been achieved.

A Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 61 percent of Americans believe using military force against Iran was a mistake, making Trump's war as unpopular among Americans as the Iraq War during the peak of violence in 2006 and the Vietnam War in the early 1970s.

The Pentagon's internal overall cost estimate has exceeded $100 billion. That number doesn't even account for the cost to the American people. Gas prices have soared, as people across NY‐18 have spent an additional $172 million on gas since the beginning of the war, costing the average family in our district an additional $646 in gas costs over the past six months. Grocery prices have also skyrocketed as the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

Ryan has repeatedly cosponsoredandvoted in favorof War Powers Resolutions to end the war in Iran five separate times.

In May, amid reports that the Pentagon would seek $200B in supplemental funding for the war, Ryan introduced the No Funds for Iran War Act, which would prohibit the use of additional taxpayer funds for military action against Iran in the absence of an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) or official declaration of war from Congress. Ryan introduced the legislation with the support of his fellow Democratic veterans in Congress, and it has continued to grow in support in the enduring months of the war.

In April, Ryan confronted Hegseth himself during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, pressing him on his failure to protect troops at Port Shuaiba. Following new reporting on the strike on Port Shuaiba, Ryan opened an investigation in August into how the Department of Defense failed to provide adequate medical care to service members injured and demanded answers about the Department's lack of preparation for a strike against Port Shuaiba.

Last month, Ryan spoke on the House floor against handing Hegseth's Pentagon a $1.5 trillion blank check through the FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). He criticized colleagues for again refusing to consider his No Funds for Iran War Act, especially following the successful passage of a War Powers Resolution.

"It's personal to me. Having served twenty-seven months in combat in Iraq. Watching us double down on a losing strategy, year after year, while my friends and fellow soldiers - many of whose names are on this memorial bracelet I wear - fought and died. It's personal to the now eighteen families who lost their loved ones in this reckless war in Iran - sons, daughters, husbands, wives, somebody's whole world. It's personal to the hundreds more wounded, many carrying injuries that will last their entire lives from this war," Ryan said on the House floor.

Ryan's full floor remarks can be viewed here.

Most recently, when the Trump administration tried to downplay the number of casualties in the war, Ryan again joined his Democratic veteran colleagues in demanding the Administration accurately and transparently account for U.S. servicemembers killed and wounded in the Iran war.

Congressman Ryan is a U.S. Army veteran, served two combat tours in Iraq, and is the first West Point graduate to represent the Academy in the U.S. House of Representatives. Amid recent threats to veterans' benefits, national security concerns, and rising threats worldwide, Congressman Ryan led his fellow veterans in Congress to create the Democratic Veterans Caucus. He sits on the House Armed Services Committee and has led extensive legislation to deliver relief for veterans, servicemembers, and military families.

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