Key facts
- Democrats are weighing whether to use the Dec. 11 shutdown deadline to press Trump to end the war, Bloomberg reported.
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen wrote on Nov. 10 he will not support a funding bill unless it defunds the war.
- Sen. Patty Murray said on Nov. 10 Trump is 'absolutely not getting his $1.5 trillion war budget.'
- Sen. Chuck Schumer said on Nov. 10 he supports a Senate trial for War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
- Sen. John Thune was reelected Republican leader on Nov. 10 and listed funding the government as a priority.
Congressional Democrats are considering whether to use a Dec. 11 government shutdown deadline to try to pressure President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 9, 2026. Bloomberg called the approach to the looming funding cliff the most important decision facing Democrats as the current Republican-controlled Congress begins its lame duck session. Bloomberg said it could not be determined whether any developments have occurred since it published its report on November 9, 2026.
The Epoch Times reported on Nov. 11, 2026 that some congressional Democrats said they would not vote for a government funding bill that pays for the war in Iran. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) wrote on social media on Nov. 10 that he would not support a funding bill unless it defunds the war. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the vice chair and top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a floor speech on Nov. 10 that Trump is 'absolutely not getting his $1.5 trillion war budget, or the nearly $70 billion he wants to bankroll the Iran war.' She also said Democrats would 'look at every way' and use every tool to end the war in an interview with Seattle public radio station KUOW the same day.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the war 'one of the greatest foreign policy fiascos in all of American history' at a news conference on Nov. 10 and said he supports a Senate trial for War Secretary Pete Hegseth. Schumer did not say whether Democrats would withhold votes on the December funding bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who was reelected Republican leader on Nov. 10, listed funding the government among the Republican majority's priorities before it hands over power in January. Former Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.) told The Epoch Times on Nov. 11 that he would not support additional funding for the war.