House Democrat warns of ‘boots-on-the-ground quagmire’ in Iran

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) on Sunday warned against putting American boots on the ground on Iran’s mainland and Kharg Island, noting it could lead to future requests that suggest the possibility of a longer war. 

President Trump hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a ground invasion but has in recent weeks suggested Operation Epic Fury was close to ending.  

“I’m worried he’s going to send 2,500 Marines into that strait, that he’s going to tell them to seize Kharg Island. He’s going to tell them to seize these islands and shorelines around the strait. And they’ll do it. They’ll take it,” Auchincloss, a former Marine Corps officer, said during an appearance on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday.” 

“These Marines don’t leave missions half-complete. But then within 15 to 30 days, they’re going to require reinforcements or resupply. And that is the beginning of a boots-on-the-ground quagmire that the American public resoundingly rejects,” he added. 

The Pentagon has already requested $200 billion to fund the war in Iran. Democrats have questioned the large amount while Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), have argued the U.S. has to “adequately fund defense.”

U.S. strikes on Iran have been offensive and made in coordination with Israel, leading some Democrats to label the attacks as the start of a “war of choice.”

Auchincloss says money to fund further strikes overseas could be better used for other purposes. 

“It’s not Congress’s job to be an ATM for a failed president. It’s Congress’s job to embody the will of the American public. What the American public says is, they look at $200 billion and they see that that could fund early education for every American child,” Auchincloss told anchor Chris Stirewalt.

“They see that that could quadruple the budget of the National Institutes of Health, cure Alzheimer’s disease, cure schizophrenia, cure cancer. And they say to this president, ‘You have failed to articulate a strategic endgame,’” he added.

The House Democrat said Trump “failed to articulate” why the war started and how it would end.

“And yet you want us to write you a blank check for this strategic blunder? Absolutely not,” Auchincloss said.

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