Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Trump Waging An Increasingly Costly War In Iran, Skyrocketing Prices For Americans At Home And Endangering Servicemembers Abroad

Washington, D.C. - Today, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke on the Senate floor as the price tag for Trump's war in Iran increases, Trump bashes critical NATO allies, and Republicans refuse to rein in the administration's reckless actions. Below are Senator Schumer's remarks, which can also be viewed here:

Thanks to Donald Trump's war with Iran, gas prices are now nearing $4 a gallon. Experts predict that this weekend, gasoline will cross the $4 threshold.

In just the last month, gas prices have gone up by one dollar per gallon. Brent crude is hovering around $108 a barrel, much higher than it has been. And Donald Trump has the gall to say the prices are "not that bad." You hear that America? Donald Trump is telling you $4 gas is "not that bad." What bubble does he live in? How often does he fill up his car with gasoline?

When Donald Trump says gas prices are "not that bad," who's he kidding? He's speaking like a billionaire. America is being led into war by Marie Antionette.

And then Kevin Haaset, the top economic advisor to Trump, says Americans' pain is "the least of our concern right now." Can you believe this? The highest economic advisor in the Trump administration says American's pain is the least of our concerns right now. If there is anything that shows how out of touch Donald Trump and his minions are that's it right there.

Trump and his acolytes are unbelievable. They are so clueless. They are in a bubble.

Meanwhile, the war with Iran is expanding. Iranian strikes on Qatar's energy infrastructure have knocked out 17 percent of that country's LNG export capacity.

QatarEnergy says two LNG trains could be sidelined for three to five years, a staggering blow to global energy markets. In other words, even if the war ended tomorrow-and there are no signs it's anywhere close to ending-the damage Donald Trump has unleashed will take a long, long time to fix.

Meanwhile, the war in the Middle East is expanding not shrinking. Donald Trump is sending additional warships and thousands of Marines to the region. He refuses to fully rule out boots on the ground - a step that would mean more American casualties and even higher costs than he now projects. And this week, the administration was floating a funding request of more than $200 billion, $200 billion, to finance this open-ended war. No way. That will never happen. It is a preposterous and dangerous risk.

We should never accept giving Donald Trump a blank check to wage war with Iran in perpetuity. Even a fraction of $200 billion is unacceptable for a war without a plan, without an endgame, and without the support of the American people. And of course, the money could be used for so much better. Reducing American's costs on health care, on housing, and on electricity, and on daycare. So much could be done with that money instead of a war that Donald Trump has chosen to wage without even a vote in Congress.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to vilify and bash our closest allies even as he publicly asks for their help. Today, he called NATO a "paper tiger" and called our allies "cowards." How does he expect to form a coalition, which he says he needs, if he's just gonna spend his time calling them names. Calling out allies names.

The damage Donald Trump is doing to our alliances is sickening.

He has spent years trashing our allies, insulting them, threatening NATO, and undermining the very alliances that have kept us strong for generations. And now, suddenly, after Donald Trump has dragged the United States into a war that is not going his way, he turns around and asks those same allies to jump in and help. What world does he live in?

And when they don't immediately leap into this open-ended conflict in the way Donald Trump wants, what does he do?

He calls them cowards. Donald Trump's leadership is pathetic, pathetic. This war needs to come to an end now. The American people have had enough.

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