{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-details-expansive-costs-of-iran-war-in-senate-floor-speech-ahead-of-vote-to-end-war/", "Hickenlooper Details Expansive Costs of Iran War in Senate Floor Speech Ahead of Vote to End War", "2026-09-24", "2026", "2026-09", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "John W. Hickenlooper", "H000273", "www.hickenlooper.senate.gov", "hickenlooper", "https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press/page/", "scraper", "Hickenlooper: \u201cYou\u2019re paying for this war every day: when you fill up your tank, buy your groceries, and pay your rent.\u201d\n\nThis afternoon, Hickenlooper voted to end the war in Iran\n\nWASHINGTON \u2013 Ahead of a Senate vote to end the Iran war, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper took to the Senate floor yesterday and highlighted the true costs of the war that go beyond the Pentagon\u2019s estimate of $43.6 billion. He urged his Republican colleagues to break with the president to end the illegal, costly war.\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t want to talk about what that 43 billion dollars includes. Today, I want to talk about what that number doesn\u2019t include,\u201d said Hickenlooper on the Senate floor. \u201cWars aren\u2019t measured just in dollars and cents. It is measured in lives lost, whether Americans feel safer and better off.\u201d\n\nWatch his full speech HERE.\n\n\u201cTake the 19 brave servicemembers whose deaths have been disclosed by the Pentagon. That is 19 families who have lost someone irreplaceable. In just a few weeks, children will trick-or-treat without a parent. A few weeks later, families will gather for Thanksgiving with an empty seat at the table,\u201d he continued.\n\nHickenlooper raised the deeply concerning reports that suggest the Pentagon has not properly disclosed the real casualty numbers of the war.\n\n\u201cReports say that the Pentagon is not being transparent with Congress or the American people. What we know is every one of those lives deserves our gratitude. And every one of those families deserves an accurate accounting of this war\u2019s human cost.\u201d\n\nHe continued to emphasize the toll on all of our servicemembers deployed in the region, \u201cSince February, more than 800 servicemembers have been wounded in the Middle East. Some went days without receiving adequate hospital care. Many face life-altering injuries\u2026 Back at home, their loved ones are left worrying and wondering whether they will be home for the holidays.\u201d\n\nHe also noted how the Iran war has weakened our national security and undermined our position in the global economy.\n\n\u201cSince June, the war has consumed between half and two-thirds of our key missile-defense interceptors. Even with increased production, it will take at least five years to rebuild those stockpiles. Every interceptor we fire in Iran is one we don\u2019t have for future combat.\n\n\u201cAt the same time, we\u2019ve shown Iran it can seize control of one of the world\u2019s most critical waterways and bring global trade to its knees. A quarter of the world\u2019s oil and a third of the world\u2019s fertilizer trade used to flow through the Strait of Hormuz. No longer. We\u2019ve given our adversaries a roadmap and even a test drive for holding the global economy hostage, which the Houthis have already exploited in the Bab el Mandeb Strait.\u201d\n\nHickenlooper also detailed how the war in Iran has increased gas, diesel, and grocery prices for Americans.\n\n\u201cBefore the war, the national average for diesel was $3.72 per gallon. This week, it\u2019s over $6.50 per gallon. That\u2019s a nearly 75% increase. That means a small farmer using 1,000 gallons of diesel during a harvest is paying roughly $2,800 more just to do the same work. Even Republicans have said it: this is \u2018killing farmers\u2019 income.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe war is also impacting Americans\u2019 grocery bills. Between July 2025 and July 2026, fresh vegetable prices have increased over 6%, beef has climbed over 9%, and tomatoes have gone up nearly 13%. You shouldn\u2019t have to be a millionaire to drive to the grocery store and feed your family.\u201d\n\nHe also highlighted how the war has hurt prospective homeowners, increasing interest rates.\n\n\u201cBefore the Iran war, the average 30-year mortgage rate was hovering at around 6% \u2013 still too high for many families. Today? It\u2019s above 7%. For the average Colorado homebuyer, that difference adds up fast. That\u2019s a mortgage that\u2019s $280 more every month. Almost $4,000 every year. And over $100,000 over a 30-year mortgage.\u201d\n\nHickenlooper has introduced a War Powers Resolution to direct President Trump to terminate U.S. military hostilities against Iran and has voted repeatedly to end the president\u2019s war. Last week, Hickenlooper also spoke on the Senate floor calling out President Trump\u2019s corruption and the cost-of-living emergency that he\u2019s created.\n\nFor a full video of Hickenlooper\u2019s remarks, click HERE. A full transcript of his remarks as prepared for delivery is available below:\n\nMr. President,\n\n43.6 billion dollars and counting.\n\nThat\u2019s the Pentagon\u2019s estimate for how much it has spent on the illegal war in Iran.\n\nThat\u2019s a lot of money.\n\nIn fact, it\u2019s so much money that if every American family gave $500, you still wouldn\u2019t have enough to pay for this war. The missiles. The munitions. The warships. Over 43 billion dollars of your taxpayer money wasted for no discernible benefit.\n\nBut I don\u2019t want to talk about what that 43 billion dollars includes. Today, I want to talk about what that number doesn\u2019t include.\n\nWars aren\u2019t measured just in dollars and cents. It is measured in lives lost, whether Americans feel safer and better off. And by those accounts, the costs are enormous.\n\nTake the 19 brave servicemembers whose deaths have been disclosed by the Pentagon. That is 19 families who have lost someone irreplaceable.\n\nIn just a few weeks, children will trick-or-treat without a parent.\n\nA few weeks later, families will gather for Thanksgiving with an empty seat at the table.\n\n\u201cI will never recover from this,\u201d one widow wrote on social media.\n\nWhat\u2019s even more heartbreaking is that we don\u2019t know exactly how many servicemembers have died in the Middle East amid this war. Reports say that the Pentagon is not being transparent with Congress or the American people. What we know is every one of those lives deserves our gratitude. And every one of those families deserves an accurate accounting of this war\u2019s human cost.\n\nSince February, more than 800 servicemembers have been wounded in the Middle East. Some went days without receiving adequate hospital care. Many face life-altering injuries.\n\nTens of thousands of their fellow servicemembers are still deployed, fighting a war that this administration still refuses to call a war.\n\nBack at home, their loved ones are left worrying and wondering whether they will be home for the holidays.\n\nYou won\u2019t find those costs in the 43 billion dollar price tag.\n\nThen there\u2019s the staggering cost to America\u2019s national security.\n\nSince June, the war has consumed between half and two-thirds of our key missile-defense interceptors. Even with increased production, it will take at least five years to rebuild those stockpiles. Every interceptor we fire in Iran is one we don\u2019t have for future combat.\n\nIranian strikes have damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at U.S. bases, along with our relationships with the allies and partners who agreed to host them as a bulwark against Iran. That premise has been turned on its head.\n\nAt the same time, we\u2019ve shown Iran it can seize control of one of the world\u2019s most critical waterways and bring global trade to its knees. A quarter of the world\u2019s oil and a third of the world\u2019s fertilizer trade used to flow through the Strait of Hormuz. No longer. We\u2019ve given our adversaries a roadmap and even a test drive for holding the global economy hostage, which the Houthis have already exploited in the Bab el Mandeb Strait.\n\nAmerica\u2019s adversaries are celebrating our distraction, this futility, and these mounting costs. Every dollar we spend on Iran is a dollar we\u2019re not spending modernizing our military to protect against the threat of an ascendant China. Every warship that\u2019s deployed to the Arabian Sea is one less warship that\u2019s available to protect the South China Sea.\n\nBut you won\u2019t find those costs in the $43 billion price tag.\n\nThen there\u2019s the cost to YOU, the American people. You\u2019re paying for this war every day: when you fill up your tank, buy your groceries, and pay your rent.\n\nBefore the war, the national average for diesel was $3.72 per gallon. This week, it\u2019s over $6.50 per gallon. That\u2019s a nearly 75% increase. That means a small farmer using 1,000 gallons of diesel during a harvest is paying roughly $2,800 more just to do the same work. Even Republicans have said it: this is quote \u201ckilling farmers\u2019 income.\u201d\n\nThe war is also impacting Americans\u2019 grocery bills. Between July 2025 and July 2026, fresh vegetable prices have increased over 6%, beef has climbed over 9%, and tomatoes have gone up nearly 13%. You shouldn\u2019t have to be a millionaire to drive to the grocery store and feed your family.\n\nFew have felt the financial costs of this war more than prospective homebuyers. Before the Iran war, the average 30-year mortgage rate was hovering at around 6% \u2013 still too high for many families. Today? It\u2019s above 7%. For the average Colorado homebuyer, that difference adds up fast. That\u2019s a mortgage that\u2019s $280 more every month. Almost $4,000 every year. And over $100,000 over a 30-year mortgage. That\u2019s real money that could go to childcare, your child\u2019s college, or savings. And for many, it means buying a home just doesn\u2019t make financial sense, even if you\u2019ve been saving up for years.\n\nYou won\u2019t see those trade-offs reflected in the Pentagon\u2019s $43 billion price tag for the war.\n\nAnd finally, what is the cost of this war on our Democracy?\n\nJames Madison once wrote to his friend Thomas Jefferson that \u201cthe Executive is the branch of power most interested in war, and most prone to it.\u201d That\u2019s why the Founders gave Congress the power to declare war. Not the President. Not the Supreme Court. Congress.\n\nAnd yet, not a single senator has introduced a legislative measure to formally declare war on Iran.\n\nMr. President, you may have noticed that until now, I have not mentioned President Trump. That is not because the President bears no responsibility for this war. He most certainly does. President Trump unilaterally made the decision to enter this costly, unwanted war. But the decision about whether it continues rests with Congress.\n\nAnd to my Republican colleagues who are wrestling with this issue, just ask yourself: Is this war making your constituents\u2019 lives better?\n\nThat isn\u2019t a partisan question. It is a question every senator has a duty to answer.\n\nBecause whether the President is a Republican or a Democrat, Congress cannot surrender its constitutional power simply because the President belongs to our party.\n\nWe all took an oath to defend the Constitution \u2014 not a president. We all took an oath to serve the American people \u2014 not a party.\n\nPresident Trump made the decision to enter this war. But whether this war continues is now a decision for us.\n\nWhat is the true cost of this war, and the cost of allowing it to continue?\n\nThis week, the Senate will get another chance to decide.\n\nI urge my colleagues to join me in voting to end this war now and for good.\n\nThank you, Mr. President.\n\n###", 1, "2026-09-25T10:04:52Z", "2026-09-25T10:05:46Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/press_releases/hickenlooper-details-expansive-costs-of-iran-war-in-senate-floor-speech-ahead-of-vote-to-end-war/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6886326484382153, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}