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[Schumer Says Republicans Will Support Ending War with Iran Quickly, Democrats Threaten to Cut Defense Funding with “Purchase Power”] (1) Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Senate Republicans will support ending the war with Iran quickly; he threatened that Democrats would use “purch power” to cut Defense funding if necessary to push for a swift end to the conflict. (2) Schumer said at a press conference at the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee headquarters in Washington on Wednesday: “We want to end this war. Some Republicans have joined us in supporting an end to the war. The Founding Fathers used ‘purch power’ as one of the means to deter the president from waging war without the consent of the American people.” (3) Four Republican senators joined Democrats in voting for a war powers resolution that directs President Trump to withdraw U.S. troops from hostilities against Iran without formal congressional authorization to use military force; the four are Tom Tillis, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul. They voted to advance the resolution when it was last put to a Senate vote. (4) Senator Bill Cassidy had previously hesitated on how to vote, but after meeting with Senate Republican leaders in Mansfield Hall outside the Senate in late September, he ultimately voted against the measure; he had previously supported a war powers resolution on Iran in June, but changed his vote after a heated argument with Trump in a private meeting. (5) Even if the Senate passes a legally binding war powers resolution, Trump can still veto it, and the Democrats do not have enough votes to override his opposition. (6) The Democrats have a greater means of restraining Trump from waging war by blocking Pentagon funding; the White House requested nearly $70 billion in emergency funding for the Pentagon in June, but this stalled due to strong Democratic opposition, and the annual defense appropriations bill is also deadlocked. (7) Democrats have threatened to block the annual defense authorization bill and defense appropriations measures as long as the United States remains at war with Iran. (8) Senator Brian Schatz, who is about to become the Senate Democratic Whip, told reporters a few weeks ago: “My personal view is that if the war ends, then there is an opportunity for bipartisan cooperation on defense authorization and defense appropriations. I think if the war does not end, it will be extremely difficult.”