Gallego says he'd vote to fund 'dumb' Iran war

Arizona Democrat says he'd support funding a war with Iran if Gulf States contribute at least 50% of the costs.

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said he would vote to fund a war against Iran if other Gulf States contribute at least 50% of the costs, despite previously describing the conflict as 'dumb.' Gallego's comments come in contrast to his Democratic colleagues who have pushed to restrain the Trump administration's strikes on Iran.

Why it matters

Gallego's willingness to fund a war with Iran that he previously called 'dumb' highlights the political divisions within the Democratic party over foreign policy and the use of military force. This could impact future Congressional votes on authorizing military action against Iran.

The details

Gallego told CNN's Kaitlan Collins that he would support funding for a war with Iran if other Gulf States contribute at least 50% of the costs. This is in contrast to Gallego's previous criticism of the Trump administration's foreign policy moves, where he said the U.S. is 'using our treasure' and 'using our men to protect these countries' while cutting domestic programs. Some of Gallego's Democratic colleagues, like Sen. Tim Kaine and Reps. Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, have pushed measures to restrain the Trump administration's strikes on Iran.

  • Gallego made the comments on Tuesday, March 4, 2026.

The players

Sen. Ruben Gallego

A Democratic senator from Arizona who said he would vote to fund a war with Iran if other Gulf States contribute at least 50% of the costs.

Sen. Tim Kaine

A Democratic senator from Virginia who has proposed a resolution that would require authorization from Congress before the Trump administration can use military force against Iran again.

Rep. Thomas Massie

A Republican representative from Kentucky who has co-sponsored a resolution with Rep. Ro Khanna that would require Trump to halt U.S. military operations against Iran within 30 days unless Congress authorizes a declaration of war or the use of military force.

Rep. Ro Khanna

A Democratic representative from California who has co-sponsored a resolution with Rep. Thomas Massie that would require Trump to halt U.S. military operations against Iran within 30 days unless Congress authorizes a declaration of war or the use of military force.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

The Israeli leader whom Gallego accused of pushing for a war with Iran for the past 47 years.

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What they’re saying

“I'm going to say that in my opinion I want to see at least 50 percent of that money has to come from the Gulf States and from Israel.”

— Sen. Ruben Gallego (CNN)

“We're using our stockpile. We're using our taxpayer money to protect those countries. At the same time, we're cutting Medicaid, we're cutting food stamps. People are hurting you know, we cannot keep doing this. We use our treasure. We're using our men to protect these countries. They need to throw in and have skin in the game too.”

— Sen. Ruben Gallego (The Source)

“There's a lot of ways that we could be supportive of Israel. There's a lot of ways that we could defend Israel's existence, its sovereignty. I'm 100 percent for that. But we don't need to go to war for them, especially when it's a dumb war.”

— Sen. Ruben Gallego (MS Now)

What’s next

The Senate is expected to vote on the resolution proposed by Sen. Tim Kaine that would require Congressional authorization before the Trump administration can use military force against Iran again.

The takeaway

Gallego's willingness to fund a war with Iran that he previously criticized as 'dumb' highlights the political divisions within the Democratic party over foreign policy and the use of military force. This could impact future Congressional votes on authorizing military action against Iran.