October 29, 2026 - On Wednesday, Trump and Republicans’ war in Iran has hit its 8-month anniversary. 

The war has now cost nearly $50 billion dollars of taxpayer money, wounded hundreds and killed at least 23 American service members, depleted our stockpile of long-range missiles, and cost New Yorkers billions in higher costs.

Over and over again, the American people have heard an endless parade of broken and shifting promises about the war from the president. We were told the war was a “total and complete victory,” “won’t be difficult,” was “projected [to last] four to five weeks,” was “winding down,” was ending “very soon,” was “ahead of schedule,” was going to end in “two or three weeks,” then “two or three days,” then “very close,” then again a “few days,” then “going to end pretty soon.” 

None of this has been true. Trump has even said the war will possibly escalate after the midterm elections. 

Trump campaigned on no new wars. In June 2025, Trump, Rubio, and Hegseth claimed the Iranian nuclear program was “obliterated.” Then the president turned around and claimed he had to start this war with Iran because they were “two weeks away” from creating a nuclear bomb. In the first months of the war, Secretary Hegseth and President Trump bragged that the Iranian military had been “decimated” and was “no longer a threat.” They said Iran’s missile program was “functionally destroyed,” with stockpiles depleted, decimated and ineffective. The White House stated that Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal had been razed. General Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in April, “Over the course of 38 days of major combat operation, the joint force achieved the military objectives as defined by the President.”

Yet the war has continued. 

Below is a statement on this 8-month anniversary from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees:

“This illegal war was launched without a clear plan, executed without a coherent strategy, and now, eight months later, American families are still paying the price at the gas pump, at the grocery store, and with their tax dollars.  

“From the start, this administration has lied to the American people about the timeline, the strategy, and the cost of this war. Nearly $50 billion in taxpayer dollars has already been spent, while families face thousands of dollars in higher costs and American service members are killed and wounded.

“This costly war must end to bring relief to working families, and this administration must be held accountable for its costly failures.” 

Source: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand