NASHUA, N.H. – Days before a vote designed to curtail Donald Trump’s ability to continue strikes on Iran, U.S. Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA-17) joined with U.S. Representative Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-02) to discuss the situation, along with several other topics, in an event held by the Nashua Democrats at the Nashua Firefighters’ Association Union Hall.
Khanna asked the crowd to reach out to elected officials in Washington to support the bill up for a vote led by himself and colleague Thomas Massie (R-KY-04), which intends to prohibit unilateral action by the Executive Branch to attack Iran without Congressional approval. A similar piece of legislation has been introduced in the Senate.
Both representatives attacked Trump’s decision to begin bombing Iran. Khanna said that the decision reflected one of the most dishonest presidential campaigns in U.S. History, where Trump accused opponent Kamala Harris of wanting to attack Iran and that his election would prevent a war. He added that the cost of the attacks on Iran took away money that could be spent on improving America, referencing former U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower’s “Cross of Iron” speech.
“We keep on voting for people who say they don’t want war, and look what happens,” he said.
Goodlander also noted that U.S. military members had already been killed by Iranian reprisals from the attacks and that the U.S. was fortunate that no members of the military had been killed following American intervention in Venezuela.
Although Trump is certain to veto the Khanna-Massie bill or any comparable bills if any are passed by both houses of Congress, Goodlander and Khanna also said that they hope to press for greater accountability of military spending by Congress, citing bipartisan approval stopping taxpayer funds being used for a proposed Trump invasion of Greenland. Khanna also said that passing the bill would be a symbolic victory that could still impact the conflict, comparable to a similar effort between Khanna and Bernie Sanders in U.S. military efforts toward conflict in Yemen.
Iran was one of three topics brought forward by Khanna at the beginning of the March 1 event. Also discussed were the Epstein files, where Khanna also worked with Massie in recent months, and Trump’s policies on tariffs, which Khanna referred to as “unconstitutional.”
Khanna said he would fight to provide funding to U.S. consumers comparable to rises in prices consumers have had to face following the tariffs. He also said that he would work with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders to pass a 5 percent billionaire tax that would raise $4.4 trillion and give ever American making less than $150,000 check.
Regarding the Epstein files, Khanna joked about the irony of their impact in the arrest of Prince Andrew, given that the British government had once arrested his grandfather while protesting with Mahatma Gandhi. However, he expressed frustration that American officials implicated in Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex ring have not been brought to justice.
Goodlander said that it was important that former U.S. President Bill Clinton testified regarding his interactions with Epstein, indicating that not even presidents are above the law and Trump could potentially be subpoenaed if Democrats regain the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives this fall.
He said the current conflict around issues of war in Iran, the Epstein files and ICE reflect what Khanna sees as a larger trend where Trump’s policies ignore the needs of the people, including former Trump supporters. Indeed, he said, Democrats need to reach out to those former Trump supporters in crafting a new coalition that invests in the American people.
“I don’t respect Trump, but I respect some of the people who voted for him. Many of his voters thought the rich and powerful were above the law and the country was not working,” he said. “We need to find issues where we can come together and rebuild our democracy.”