‘People Can’t Afford Healthcare’: Sanders Rips Pentagon Request for Another $200 Billion
“People can’t afford childcare,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. “And this guy, in addition to giving tax breaks to billionaires, now wants to spend another $200 billion on a war that should never have been fought.”
“People can’t afford childcare,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders. “And this guy, in addition to giving tax breaks to billionaires, now wants to spend another $200 billion on a war that should never have been fought.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) looks on during a Senate hearing on February 25, 2026.
(Photo by Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Jake Johnson
Mar 20, 2026
COMMON DREAMS
US Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday that it is absurd for the Trump administration to demand another $200 billion from Congress for an illegal war on Iran after lawmakers already approved $1 trillion in military spending for the year—and while millions of people across the nation are struggling to afford basic necessities.
“You got people all over this country, 20% of households, spending 50% of their income on housing,” Sanders (I-Vt.) said in an appearance on MS NOW. “People can’t afford healthcare. People can’t afford childcare. And this guy, in addition to giving tax breaks to billionaires, now wants to spend another $200 billion on a war that should never have been fought.”
‘Not Another Penny for Another Endless War,’ Ilhan Omar Says as Trump Seeks $200 Billion
‘Ridiculous’: Pentagon Doesn’t Even Know What to Do With Extra $500 Billion Trump Wants to Spend
The senator’s remarks came as President Donald Trump, who has not yet formally requested the funds from Congress, suggested another $200 billion would be a “small price to pay” as the US-Israeli war on Iran heads toward its fourth week with no end in sight.
“I think the Trump people are in a bit of panic,” Sanders said Thursday. “They’re losing ground. Gas prices are soaring. There is massive discontent against this war. It’s got to end, and we’ve got to make sure that Trump is neutered in 2026.”
With the Trump administration considering a plan to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East amid widespread fears of a ground invasion of Iran—which would explode the price tag of an already costly war—the National Priorities Project (NPP) released an analysis highlighting where the $200 billion requested by the Pentagon could be better spent.
The group estimated that $200 billion would be enough for all of the following this year:Medicaid for the 17 million people who will lose it due to budget cuts and other policies;
Food stamps for the 22 million people who will go hungry due to Trump’s budget cuts;
Medical care for the 1.8 million veterans of the last forever war who still live with disabilities; and
Tripling the number of kids in Head Start, from just over 700,000 to 1.4 million kids.
“Pete Hegseth would rather the US bomb Iranian families than feed American families,” wrote NPP’s Lindsay Koshgarian, referring to the Pentagon secretary. “We should remember the lies that led us into war in Iraq a generation ago. That war ultimately cost nearly $3 trillion. We must not go down that path again. Our tax dollars should be helping struggling Americans, not feeding new forever wars.”
$200 Billion for Trump’s Iran War Is Beyond Grotesque
Every Member of Congress should announce, right now, that they will reject this monstrous war funding proposal.
Every Member of Congress should announce, right now, that they will reject this monstrous war funding proposal.
In this aerial handout picture released by the Iranian Press Center, mourners dig graves during the funeral for children killed in a reported strike on a primary school in Iran’s Hormozgan province in Minab on March 3, 2026. Iranian media have reported hundreds of Iranian casualties, including at a girl’s school, although AFP reporters have not been able to verify tolls independently.
(Photo by Iranian Press Center / AFP via Getty Images)
Robert Weissman
Mar 20, 2026
Common Dreams
The Trump administration’s planned $200 billion war spending request is grotesque beyond words.
It should properly be understood not just as a request to replenish supplies, but to expand, escalate, and perpetuate the illegal, unconstitutional, unpopular and devastating war on Iran. Congress should understand that approving any portion of this funding opens the gates for one, two, and potentially many more war funding requests in the future.
‘Hell No’: Pentagon Wants Over $200 Billion to Fund Trump’s Illegal Iran War
$1 Billion Daily Cost of Trump’s Iran War Could Fund Food Aid, Healthcare for Tens of Millions
How dare the administration propose this gargantuan sum to expand an illegal war of choice at the same time it has rammed through deep cuts in health care and food assistance, refuses to spend foreign assistance at a cost of millions of lives, and has cut spending on protecting clean air, maintaining our national parks, investing in health research, protecting consumers from fraud, and so much more.
Two hundred billion dollars is enough to materially change the lives of Americans and truly make our country stronger. It would be enough to restore food assistance to the four million Americans and Medicaid to the 15 million Americans who will lose those crucial supports under the Republican reconciliation bill; establish universal pre-K education; pay for the annual construction of more than 100,000 units of housing; double the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency; and expand Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing.
Every Member of Congress should announce, right now, that they will reject this monstrous war funding proposal, before it is formalized.
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Robert Weissman
Robert Weissman is the president of Public Citizen. Weissman was formerly director of Essential Action, editor of Multinational Monitor, a magazine that tracks corporate actions worldwide, and a public interest attorney at the Center for Study of Responsive Law. He was a leader in organizing the 2000 IMF and World Bank protests in D.C. and helped make HIV drugs available to the developing world.
Full Bio >
The Trump administration’s planned $200 billion war spending request is grotesque beyond words.
It should properly be understood not just as a request to replenish supplies, but to expand, escalate, and perpetuate the illegal, unconstitutional, unpopular and devastating war on Iran. Congress should understand that approving any portion of this funding opens the gates for one, two, and potentially many more war funding requests in the future.
‘Hell No’: Pentagon Wants Over $200 Billion to Fund Trump’s Illegal Iran War
$1 Billion Daily Cost of Trump’s Iran War Could Fund Food Aid, Healthcare for Tens of Millions
How dare the administration propose this gargantuan sum to expand an illegal war of choice at the same time it has rammed through deep cuts in health care and food assistance, refuses to spend foreign assistance at a cost of millions of lives, and has cut spending on protecting clean air, maintaining our national parks, investing in health research, protecting consumers from fraud, and so much more.
Two hundred billion dollars is enough to materially change the lives of Americans and truly make our country stronger. It would be enough to restore food assistance to the four million Americans and Medicaid to the 15 million Americans who will lose those crucial supports under the Republican reconciliation bill; establish universal pre-K education; pay for the annual construction of more than 100,000 units of housing; double the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency; and expand Medicare to cover dental, vision and hearing.
Every Member of Congress should announce, right now, that they will reject this monstrous war funding proposal, before it is formalized.
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Robert Weissman
Robert Weissman is the president of Public Citizen. Weissman was formerly director of Essential Action, editor of Multinational Monitor, a magazine that tracks corporate actions worldwide, and a public interest attorney at the Center for Study of Responsive Law. He was a leader in organizing the 2000 IMF and World Bank protests in D.C. and helped make HIV drugs available to the developing world.
Full Bio >
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