Betty McCollum says she will not give the Pentagon a blank check for the Iran war
Betty McCollumU.S. representative for Minnesota's 4th District, in a Star Tribune commentary
After the midterm elections, McCollum writes that she expects to chair the House Appropriations defense subcommittee in the new Congress and that she will not give the Pentagon a blank check for the Iran war.
“When the 120th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, Democrats will hold a majority in the House. I will serve as the chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, and I will not give the Department of Defense a blank check for President Trump’s war.”
Original text
Other statements by Betty McCollum in this case
- McCollum demands an immediate end to the Iran warEarlier: Condemned
- House vote: Yea on H.Con.Res. 93 (Iran war powers)Earlier: Condemned
Where this statement fits
Do they support the war in Iran?
An issue tracker recording where members of Congress and 2026 congressional candidates stand on continued U.S. military operations against Iran, based on their votes, campaign statements, and public remarks.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Rep. Betty McCollum writes in a Minnesota Star Tribune guest commentary that voters told Trump on Nov. 3 to end the Iran war, lists her criticisms of how the administration has run it, and says that as chair of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee in the new Congress she will not give the Pentagon a blank check for the war.
Before the quotation
McCollum writes that voters told Trump on Nov. 3 that he must end what she calls his illegal war in Iran, that the House has voted three times to stop it, and that the administration has endangered service members, misled the public about casualties and driven up costs for families.
After the quotation
She says she will hold hearings and ask questions she says Republicans have not asked, and that the administration must answer for its casualty reporting, the danger to service members and the civilians killed in Iran.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks whether members of Congress and candidates support the war in Iran. McCollum calls it an illegal war that Trump must end and pledges to withhold a blank check for it as a House appropriator, so she condemns the war.
- Recorded on
- Published here
More from this case
Read the full caseChuck Schumer says Democrats will end the Iran war and points to the power of the purse
“We are going to end the war. We have some Republicans already who have joined us in ending the war, and the Founding Fathers had the power of the purse as one of the ways of deterring a president who does war without the consent of the American people”Read statement
Ro Khanna says Congress should stop funding further U.S. action in the Iran war
“I would stop the funding — the House and the Senate should stop the funding for any further actions in the Iran War”Read statement
Jen Mazzuckelli says she would vote for an Iran war powers resolution
“Yes, I would absolutely support and vote for a war powers resolution ... I also would work to get Congress to draft and pass legislation that would narrow and specify circumstances in which the President could initiate military action without Congressional approval.”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Betty McCollum says she will not give the Pentagon a blank check for the Iran war
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/8446-after-the-midterm-elections-mccollum-writes-that-she
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Betty McCollum says she will not give the Pentagon a blank check for the Iran war". First published: 2026-11-09. Last updated: 2026-11-09. https://disputeindex.com/events/8446-after-the-midterm-elections-mccollum-writes-that-she