LARRY KUDLOW: A Reconciliation Bill Is the Only Way To Keep Our Military Great & Our Democracy Indestructible

The next fight in the Iran war is likely going to be the Pentagon’s request for $200 billion to keep our military in tip-top shape, not only to complete the mission in Iran, but also to maintain President Trump’s policy of peace through strength. We want the best for our men and women in the services. Soldiers, sailors, airmen. They must have everything they need, today, tomorrow, and frankly forever.

Yet you can bet the Democrats will use this war financing request for their anti-war propaganda and will seek to block this crucial funding bill. I want to pause here before talking about Ways and Means to get the money for our military. We should not forget the chilling narrative brought back by the special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, after the last set of talks with Iran. Essentially, they bragged to Mr. Witkoff and his partner Mr. Jared Kushner that they had 460 kilograms of 60 percent-enriched uranium. Right there, that ended the talks because they would never give it up.

But here’s the point: when you’re at 60 percent enrichment, you can bring it to 90 percent in seven to 10 days, according to Mr. Witkoff and many other analysts. And the 460 kilograms of enriched uranium would be enough to create 11 nuclear bombs. That’s how close Iran is. And that’s because so many presidents before Mr. Trump neglected to do anything about Iran’s nuclear advances.

Now Democrats might say the Iranians don’t have the delivery system. Really? Well, they can deliver that nuclear bomb to neighboring Israel, very quickly. Or to our allies throughout the Middle East. Or to the underbelly of Europe. Whether they are capable of producing an intercontinental ballistic missile is unknown, but there are a lot of estimates out there that it will be much shorter than generally assumed. Why risk any of that?

And of course, we are seeing Iran using shorter term missiles against oil and gas-producing countries right next door. Or bottling up the Strait of Hormuz and threatening the global economy. And since the early 1980s, let’s not forget, our State Department has classified Iran as the largest state sponsor of terrorism. And of course Iran has been waging war against the United States for 47 years, death to America, remember that? Not to speak of death to Israel. The little Satan and the big Satan. That’s how they see us. Let’s not forget that either.

This Democratic argument that there was no imminent threat has always been a bunch of phony balderdash. And we must not deny funding that may well be necessary to complete the mission in Iran.

Now, as important as this Pentagon request is, because the anti-war Democrats will probably all vote against it in the Senate with perhaps Senator John Fetterman’s exception, the GOP is not going to get 60 votes for the appropriation. And that’s why I believe it must be done as a reconciliation bill which will require only 50 votes, plus the vice president.

Speaker Mike Johnson and the House Budget Chairman, Jodey Arrington, have already moved to prepare a reconciliation bill. So far, Senate leadership has shown no enthusiasm for it. But I’m here to tell you it is the only way you’re going to get the necessary military spending. And the GOP will have to put its nose to the grindstone just like it did about a year ago, and put together a great reconciliation bill. There will be spending offsets, waste, fraud, and abuse cutbacks, plenty of room for some entitlement reforms. Perhaps even some supply side pro-growth tax reforms, but the most important issue will be our national security, completing the mission in Iran, and maintaining peace through strength.

One more point, the all-important SAVE America voting rights bill, which frankly will not get 60 votes in the Senate for passage, can be inserted into a reconciliation package. Or at least we should try. Because proof of citizenship, photo ID cards, and other aspects will lay down national rules that must be enforced, and that will require money.

My guess is the Department of Homeland Security would be the appropriate election monitoring agency, just as securing the border required a significant fiscal expansion, so will enforcing the voting rights bill. So I’m here to tell you that the cleverest minds in Congress should put their heads together and generate a strong reconciliation package that will keep our military might and maintain proper voting laws to uphold the greatest democracy in the history of history.