The next battle in the war against Iran will likely be the Pentagon’s request for $200 billion to keep our military in top shape, not only to complete the mission in Iran but also to enforce President Trump’s peace policy through force. We want the best for our men and women in services. Soldiers, sailors, pilots. They need to have everything they need, today, tomorrow and honestly forever.
Yet you can be sure that Democrats will use this war funding request for their anti-war propaganda and attempt to block this crucial funding bill. I want to pause here for a moment before talking about ways and means to get money for our military. We should not forget the chilling story that Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, put forward after the latest set of talks with Iran. Essentially, they bragged to Mr. Witkoff and his partner, Mr. Jared Kushner, that they had 460 kilograms of 60 percent enriched uranium. Right there that ended the talks because they would never give up.
But here’s the thing: Once you get to 60 percent enrichment, you can take it to 90 percent in seven to 10 days, according to Mr. Witkoff and many other analysts. And the 460 kilograms of enriched uranium would be enough to make 11 nuclear bombs. Iran is that close. And that’s because so many presidents before Mr. Trump failed to act on Iran’s nuclear progress.
Now the Democrats could say the Iranians don’t have the delivery system. Real? Well, they can deliver that atomic bomb to neighboring Israel very quickly. Or to our allies throughout the Middle East. Or to the underbelly of Europe. Whether they will be able to produce an intercontinental ballistic missile is unknown, but there are many estimates that it will be much shorter than commonly thought. Why risk all that?
And of course we see Iran using short-term missiles against oil and gas producing countries right next door. Or bottling up the Strait of Hormuz and threatening the global economy. And let’s not forget that our State Department has classified Iran as the leading state sponsor of terrorism since the early 1980s. And of course Iran has been waging war against the United States for 47 years, killing America, remember? Not to mention death for Israel. The little Satan and the big Satan. That’s how they see us. Let’s not forget that either.
Former CIA Iranian Targets Officer Reuel Marc Gerecht discusses the success of Operation Epic Fury and what the future could look like for the Iranian people in ‘Kudlow’.
This Democratic argument that there was no imminent threat has always been a load of nonsense. And we should not deny the funding that may be needed to complete the mission in Iran.
As important as this Pentagon request is, because anti-war Democrats will likely all vote against it in the Senate, perhaps with the exception of Senator John Fetterman, the Republican Party will not get 60 votes for the appropriation. And that’s why I believe it should be done as a reconciliation bill, requiring only 50 votes, plus the vice president.
Speaker Mike Johnson and House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington have already taken action to prepare a reconciliation bill. So far, Senate leadership has shown no enthusiasm for it. But I’m here to tell you that this is the only way you can get the necessary military spending. And the Republican Party will have to put its nose to the grindstone, as it did about a year ago, and craft a major reconciliation bill. There will be spending offsets, waste, fraud, and abuse cuts, and there is plenty of room for some entitlement reforms. Maybe even some supply-side tax reforms aimed at growth, but the most important issue will be our national security, completing the mission in Iran and maintaining peace through strength.
One more point: the all-important SAVE America voting rights bill, which frankly won’t get 60 votes in the Senate for passage, could be included in a reconciliation package. Or at least we should try. Because proof of citizenship, photo ID cards and other aspects will determine national rules that need to be enforced, which require money.
I suspect that the Department of Homeland Security would be the appropriate election monitoring agency, just as securing the border required significant budget expansion, and so would enforcing the Voting Rights Act. So I’m here to tell you that the brightest minds in Congress need to put their heads together and generate a strong reconciliation package that will preserve our military power and enforce the right voting laws to uphold the greatest democracy in the history of history.
