CT Democrats warn of ‘endless war’ in Iran
The state's all-Democratic congressional delegation worries that the U.S. will get mired in an extended ground war in Iran. The invasion has already led to a dramatic spike in gas prices and falling stock prices.
Connecticut’s congressional delegation is warning that President Donald Trump’s invasion of Iran could turn into an “endless war” like Iraq and Afghanistan.
The widening conflict has already sent gas prices soaring and stocks nose-diving.
STICKER SHOCK
At gas stations across Connecticut, drivers are feeling sticker shock.
“They came up from $2.99 to $3.15,” said Joe Collin, of Norwalk.
And that was before crude oil soared past $90 a barrel on Friday – its highest price in three years.
“Go up real, real quick,” said Carlos Sanchez, of Norwalk. “Three weeks ago, the price was, like, $2.20."
Investors are also feeling the pain. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the week down nearly 1,500 points.
And then there is the human toll. Six American soldiers and more than 1,000 Iranians have died so far.
TEMPORARY PAIN?
Trump insisted that the invasion is a success and the pain is temporary.
“The United States military, together with the wonderful Israeli partners, continues to totally demolish the enemy far ahead of schedule,” Trump said.
But Connecticut’s all-Democratic congressional delegation – several of whom received classified briefings on Iran – think the situation is spiraling out of control.
“What is the length of time?” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3rd District). “We’ve gone from a couple of weeks to six weeks.”
Rep. Jim Himes (D-4th District) is part of the “Gang of 8” that received advanced warning about last Saturday’s invasion. He worries that the Middle East will be destabilized for years to come.
“How do you get out? How does this end? That’s the question that we never have a good answer to,” Himes told News 12 Connecticut’s “Power and Politics.”
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“ENDLESS WAR”
The end may not come anytime soon.
On social media Friday, Trump said fighting will continue until the Iranian regime’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” The president also wants a say in picking the country’s next leader.
“My greatest fear is, we will have boots on the ground,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal. “We will have sons and daughters in harm’s way. We will have Americans in another endless war, dying and bleeding for no good reason.”
Approximately 500 Connecticut National Guard soldiers are in the region – and could potentially be called for combat duty.
“Which would result in thousands of Americans dying and trillions of our dollars being wasted,” said Sen. Chris Murphy. “With the cost of oil spiking, that means prices on everything are going to continue to spiral.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
For now, Democrats can do little to stop the growing conflict.
The U.S. House and Senate both narrowly rejected a war powers resolution requiring Trump to seek congressional approval to continue military action.
Republicans accused Democrats of fearmongering.
“It’s an operation that’s limited in its scope and duration,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). “It has a very clear mission and that mission is nearly accomplished by all estimates.”
Some Connecticut residents agree.
“They will take whatever Trump has to say and always invert it. They will always find a way to make it worse than it is,” Collin said. “The military action in Iran is essential. It must happen. It should have happened a long time ago.”
But Democrats do have some leverage.
Murphy is working with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to block legislative business. He said Democrats can also block funding for the Iranian conflict.
“We shouldn’t be proceeding to other legislation in the Senate until we have a debate on a war powers resolution,” he said.
