WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said Thursday that President Donald Trump “promised his war would last ‘4-5 weeks’” and that the United States is “now on MONTH 7,” as Senate Democrats forced another War Powers vote on hostilities with Iran.
Schumer, a New York Democrat, posted the statement on X on Sept. 24 with a Senate Democrats video that strings together clips it labels by month. The post said Americans were “getting crushed by the costs” and that “we’ve lost at least 19 service members, with hundreds wounded and tens of thousands still in harm’s way.”
Trump promised his war would last “4-5 weeks.” We’re now on MONTH 7. Senate Democrats are forcing another vote to end Trump’s war in Iran—one of the biggest foreign policy catastrophes in our history. Americans are getting crushed by the costs. We’ve lost at least 19 service members, with hundreds wounded and tens of thousands still in harm’s way.
The video’s on-screen sequence, as transcribed from the clip Schumer attached, is: March, Trump, “We projected four to five weeks, but, uh, we have capability to go far longer than that.” April, Trump, “We’re the winner. We won.” May, Rubio, “The operation is over.” June, Trump, “We reached an agreement with Iran that achieves everything we set out to accomplish.” July, Trump, “We’ll have Iran defeated soon.” September, Trump, “I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election.” Those lines are the compilation’s. The September sentence matches Trump’s Sept. 22 address at the United Nations, posted by the White House as “Trump Addresses the UN.”
A Department of Defense fact sheet dated March 16 says U.S. Central Command commenced Operation Epic Fury at the president’s direction on Feb. 28 at 1:15 a.m. From that date to Sept. 24 is seven months. Remarks attributed to Trump around March 2 included the sentence, “Right from the beginning we projected four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that.”
The Senate vote Schumer’s caucus was forcing that day is recorded as Vote 244. The official roll-call list shows the Senate rejected H. Con. Res. 89 on Sept. 24, 49–50. The Senate Democratic Daily Press log lists Republicans voting yes as Sens. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, and Thom Tillis. Sen. John Fetterman voted no. The House had agreed to the Jayapal resolution July 23, 214–208. The text directs the president, under 50 U.S.C. § 1544(c), to remove forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or enacts a specific authorization. Concurrent resolutions are not presented to the president.
Schumer’s “at least 19” deaths is his figure. The Defense Casualty Analysis System table for Operation Epic Fury, current as of Sept. 23, lists 14 total deaths: 7 hostile, all Army, and 7 non-hostile. A related OCO summary as of Sept. 15 lists 418 wounded in action. “Hundreds wounded” matches that table. “Tens of thousands still in harm’s way” is Schumer’s phrasing; DCAS does not publish a current in-theater headcount on that page.
The Energy Information Administration’s weekly retail table for Sept. 21 lists U.S. regular gasoline at $4.478 a gallon and on-highway diesel at $6.529, against year-earlier prices of $3.173 and $3.749. Schumer’s caucus release the same day called the tally the 14th Senate War Powers vote and priced the war at more than $43 billion. Those cost claims are the senators’. New York votes Nov. 3.