Ranking Member Khanna Statement on Trump’s Iran Conflict Weakening U.S. Readiness Against China

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, issued the following statement on President Trump’s Iran war weakening deterrence against China.

“President Trump’s reckless war in Iran puts America’s security and economy at risk. The United States should be focused on countering the growing challenge of maintaining peace and stability in the Pacific. Instead, the president is stretching our armed forces thin by pursuing an ill-advised ‘pivot to the Middle East.’

This war is costing taxpayers nearly $1 billion per day and burning through critical munitions. This kind of spending is unsustainable, and Americans are already feeling the consequences as gas prices soar and economic uncertainty mounts.

Now the president is asking China to send warships to the region to help end a war he cannot finish – a dangerously misguided move that threatens to erode the partnerships that form the backbone of our deterrence.

We cannot expect to deter aggression when our military is pouring resources needed for stability in Asia into yet another endless Middle Eastern war.”

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