Sen. Murray Opening Remarks at Hearing with Sec. Hegseth on Trump’s $88 Billion Supplemental Request

07.21.26

Murray : "My Democratic colleagues and I will do absolutely everything to ensure that we do take care of our servicemembers and keep our country safe… But my colleagues and I cannot and will not support rubberstamping a request to bankroll this war and whatever other misadventures Trump wants to get us into next."

Murray : "President Trump has-by any objective measure-failed to achieve his goals. Our country is no safer or better off than before the war. In fact, we are considerably less safe."

Murray : "Instead of bankrolling the president's war or sending ICE $70 billion, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle could work with us to quadruple our investments to cure cancer, or help families afford child care, or help them afford to cool their homes."

***WATCH : Senator Murray's full opening remarks***

Washington, D.C. - Today-at a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on President Trump's supplemental funding request for the Iran war and more Pentagon funding-U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, delivered the following opening remarks.

Senator Murray's remarks, as delivered, are below:

[ON SENATOR GRAHAM'S PASSING]

"First, I want to also acknowledge the loss of one of our colleagues on this dais. Like so many, I was very shocked and saddened to learn of Senator Graham's passing. We disagreed on many issues, but there was no denying the energy that Lindsey brought to this job-and whenever we could find common ground, we managed to get something done. So I just wanted to express my heart goes out to his family, friends, and loved ones.

[TRUMP'S ILLEGAL WAR]

"Now, I want to start with a few facts.

"143 days ago, President Trump started a war of his own choosing with Iran.

"He did not consult Congress. He did not get authorization from Congress.

"He did not build a coalition of allies.

"He did not make a case to the American people. Nor did he ever win their support. Two-thirds of Americans oppose the war.

[TRAGIC CASUALTIES]

"And the president's decision had catastrophic costs.

"Seventeen American servicemembers have now died.

"That includes three who tragically lost their lives over the last few days. And another is still missing.

"Several hundred more have been injured-including nearly 100 who have been hurt in just the last few weeks.

"We owe all of them and their families a debt of gratitude we can never repay.

"Thousands of civilians have also been killed.

[STAGGERING FINANCIAL COSTS OF THE WAR]

"The administration will tell the public-or Congress-the true financial costs of the war but we know it is very well into the tens of billions of dollars.

"Tax dollars we could've spent helping people afford health care-or building new housing-have now been lit on fire by a president who blundered us into a disastrous war.

"And the costs to families' bank accounts are staggering.

"Economic growth has slowed to a crawl. Inflation has shot up about 50% since this war began.

"On average, gas cost just under three dollars on February 28. Today, it's over four dollars and ticking back up with the Strait closed again. Americans have now paid more than $70 billion more on gas since the war began. That is $550 more per household.

"Fertilizer costs skyrocketed in the middle of spring planting, crushing farmers operating on extremely thin margins, and costing families more on just about everything they buy at the grocery store.

[COMPLETE LACK OF A PLAN OR CLEAR OBJECTIVES]

"The costs of this war have been astronomical. And what has it been for? What has actually been achieved?

"We hear a different rationale for this war every few days. It was about preempting 'imminent threats,' which we now know did not exist. It was about regime change, then liberating the Iranian people. It was about destroying Iran's nuclear program and its navy. And at one point, it was about taking out its ballistic missiles until, that is, the president decided that actually 'it's a little bit unfair for them not to have some.' Trump has even suggested the war is about taking Iran's oil to 'make a fortune.'

"And now, the United States' primary strategic objective seems to actually just be reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which, of course, was fully open-toll-free-before the war began.

[FAILURE TO ACHIEVE STATED GOALS]

"President Trump has-by any objective measure-failed to achieve his goals. Our country is no safer or better off than before the war. In fact, we are considerably less safe.

"Our stockpiles have been depleted-and it'll take years of production to fully replenish them-no matter how much money is thrown at the problem.

"Our global force posture is much weaker as assets have been moved to the Middle East.

"And we are now much farther away from a long-term solution to halt Iran's nuclear program than we were before Trump ripped up the deal that President Obama negotiated, which secured actual, measurable commitments and progress-without ever starting a costly war.

"In fact, there are new reports that Iran may have moved nuclear assets into a mountain bunker-which raises concerns about whether Iran might restart its program.

[THE PRESIDENT'S FLIPPANT APPROACH TO DEADLY WAR]

"It used to be a pretty somber and serious thing-a president taking America to war and costing lives and taxpayer dollars, but this president has been downright flippant.

"The people I represent worry Trump thinks this is all a game and has sent men and women into harm's way without any sort of plan, and now that he's driven the car into the ditch, he wants taxpayers to bail him out.

"As the daughter of a World War II veteran and a Purple Heart recipient, the way this White House has blissfully operated with no plan for success is disrespectful to our men and women in uniform.

"These are patriots who are highly trained and have sacrificed tremendously to keep us safe. They shouldn't be forced to put on a show for the president's birthday parade, or do the job of Border Patrol agents, or risk their lives in a disastrous war that the president clearly failed to think through.

"And as a U.S. Senator, this administration's refusal to explain what it is doing or how this war is protecting Americans, its refusal to seek authorization from Congress, and its expectation that Americans will now just pay for it all without any explanation or transparency, is disrespectful, and it's insulting to the people back home that all of us represent.

[TRUMP'S ASK FOR MORE MONEY TO BANKROLL THE WAR]

"So, here we are. Five months later. The Strait is closed. The ceasefire hasn't just disintegrated-this war is now spiraling out of control again.

"The president is threatening escalation and war crimes, and suggesting this could be another forever war.

"He has told us over 40 times now that a deal is near, and the war will be over soon. But now, he's asking for $70 billion dollars more-and for us to just trust him it'll work out fine.

"Look, I've been very clear, my Democratic colleagues and I will do absolutely everything to ensure that we do take care of our servicemembers and keep our country safe.

"Chairman Caine, I hope you know that every Democrat on this Committee deeply respects the sacrifices that you and our servicemembers and their families are making. Everyone who signed up to serve our country deserves to be more than an afterthought in a war that the president decided to launch, despite all the blinking red warnings.

"But my colleagues and I cannot and will not support rubberstamping a request to bankroll this war and whatever other misadventures Trump wants to get us into next.

"The American people want to see a quick and strategic end to this war, not $70 billion of their tax dollars sent to keep it going.

[INCOHERENT SUPPLEMENTAL REQUEST FOR PENTAGON]

"And I want to make a few important points:

• "First, the president's request is not even primarily a request to cover costs of the Iran war. This request is chock-full of asks to fund unrelated DOD priorities, which should be considered through our annual appropriations process, not in an emergency supplemental. And that includes almost a billion dollars for SOUTHCOM, nearly a billion dollars to keep deploying the National Guard here in D.C., and more than a billion dollars for the southern border.
  

• "Secondly, President Trump is making this request as the Pentagon has a record-breaking $1 trillion total budget for FY26, including over $75 billion it has in unspent money from Republicans' Big Ugly Bill. I understand you may have mismanaged your budget, Secretary Hegseth, but you have to do your due diligence to fix the cash flow problems that you've caused-before asking taxpayers for more.
  

• "Third, the president is now asking all of us to approve tens of billions of dollars in new funding for the war while his administration still has yet to share actual cost estimates, essential information to justify the request, and a plan for where on Earth this conflict goes next.
  

"This administration is either hiding the truth from Congress and the American people or if you take at face value what they've said in the few briefings we've had, they have no idea what is going on and no plan to right the ship. Neither of which is acceptable.

[REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS WHACKED BY TRUMP'S POLICIES]

"Now, Trump is also asking Congress for over $10 billion to help struggling American farmers who have been crushed first by the tariffs, and then by this war, which has shot fertilizer and diesel costs through the roof.

"I'm digging into that request-but let me be clear: as we're looking at what farmers might need to weather Trump's storm, we must also help families put food on the table. And to do that, we should delay and ultimately reverse-Republicans' deep cuts to SNAP, which have already kicked at least one million kids off of food assistance.

[REQUEST FOR STATE DEPT. FUNDING TRUMP REFUSES TO SPEND]

"Finally, Trump has also requested-and I had to read this one twice to believe-$1.3 billion dollars in new funding for the State Department for global health and humanitarian needs at the very same time his administration is withholding more than twice that amount in funding that has already been signed into law and is available for the same purposes.

"He is also asking for authorities to make U.S. taxpayers dollars subsidize the Venezuelan oil industry and to finance the establishment of private investment funds like the one he just handed over to one of his ballroom donors.

"Unfortunately, Secretary Rubio is not here with us today to explain those requests, to talk about how this war forced one of the largest evacuations of our diplomatic posts ever, or to explain whether, as National Security Advisor, he still thinks this war is the 'right decision' and whether he still 'believe[s] in it strongly.'

[WHAT CONGRESS SHOULD BE FUNDING INSTEAD]

"So this is really a request to make taxpayers pay for the president's reckless decisions from the Iran war to his trade wars, to his global health cuts-all while doing nothing to help families back home who are suffering because of those decisions. And that-that-is what we should be focused on: helping people.

"Because as Senator Padilla and others on both sides of the aisle will tell us shortly, there are urgent domestic needs we should be addressing instead of sending more money for Trump to drop bombs overseas. Priorities like disaster relief for our communities that have been ravaged by the unthinkable-or taking action to lower families' costs.

"You know what's a crisis right now? The fact that there are families I hear from back home who are working full-time and still being forced to decide whether to skip meals so they can finally buy their kids a new pair of shoes.

"You know what's a crisis? The fact that hospitals are shutting down and kids are going hungry because of Republican cuts.

"Instead of bankrolling the president's war or sending ICE $70 billion, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle could work with us to quadruple our investments to cure cancer, or help families afford child care, or help them afford to cool their homes.

"These are policy choices. And Republican leadership has chosen to focus on funding war and ICE endlessly without a single cent for our American families.

"So let me close with this: this president says we can't afford health care. We can't afford child care. We can't afford housing. But somehow-we can always afford another war. No price tag on that.

"Families in Washington state are skipping doctor's visits so they can afford groceries-and Trump wants Congress to cut him a blank check for a war no one supports.

"The American people entrust us to spend their taxpayer dollars strategically and thoughtfully. This is a huge responsibility.

"So let me be clear: I'm ready to work with my colleagues in a bipartisan way as always to address the needs of our nation and the American people, but I hope we can have real conversations about why there seems to always be money for Trump's wars but never money for the families back home who are desperate for a little relief.

"So, I look forward to today's discussion."

###