Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) took aim at President Donald Trump on Tuesday, as tensions with Iran continue to escalate and the human and economic costs mount.
In a post on X, Sanders called the ongoing war with Iran “unconstitutional,” saying it has left “more American soldiers dead and wounded” and killed “innocent men, women and children in Iran.” He also blamed the conflict for “rising prices in the U.S.” and around the world. “CONGRESS MUST STOP FUNDING THIS ILLEGAL WAR NOW,” the Vermont Independent wrote.
Jeffries echoed those sentiments in his own X post, noting that gas prices have spiked, U.S. service members have been killed, and Iran is “stronger than before.” “It’s time to bring Donald Trump’s war in the Middle East to an end. Enough,” he said.
The criticism comes as gas prices have breached the $4 threshold nationally. According to AAA, the national average price of gas on Tuesday stood at $4.0190 per gallon. Oil prices are also climbing: Brent crude was at $92.06 per barrel at the time of writing, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 1.02% to $85.20 per barrel. GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan noted that the national average has hit $4/gallon twice this year—something that didn’t even happen during the 2008 financial crisis.
Meanwhile, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth revealed that the Iran war has already cost the U.S. $37.5 billion, and he is requesting an additional $70 billion to continue operations. On the other side, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf criticized the Trump administration for sending more military equipment into the region while claiming to want peace.
The political backlash is intensifying as the financial and human toll of the conflict becomes harder to ignore. With gas prices high and casualties mounting, the calls to end the war are growing louder.
