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“There’s Always Money for War. But When It Comes to Your Health Care, We Can’t Afford It,”Sen. Warnock Says, Criticizing Trump and Adding — “We’ve Seen Trillions of Dollars Burn Overseas While People Are Knocked Off of Their Healthcare”

  • Rob Glenn
  • March 4, 2026

U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock said the Trump administration and Republican majorities in Congress were prioritizing military action abroad over domestic healthcare, accusing them of cutting coverage for millions of Americans while spending on a new Middle East conflict.

“There’s always money for war. But when it comes to your health care, we ‘can’t afford it,’” Warnock said in a post on social media and in a video statement released Tuesday. He criticized President Donald Trump over strikes on Iran and said Congress had failed to provide a strategy or cost estimate for the operation.

Warnock said recent policy changes had reduced access to health insurance for millions of Americans. He cited the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies at the start of 2026 and changes to Medicaid adopted in last year’s budget law, which he said had resulted in people being “knocked off of their healthcare.”

“So the President of the United States and his enablers in Congress just knocked millions of Americans off of their healthcare, saying we just can’t afford it,” Warnock said in the video. “But now, there’s money for yet another war in the Middle East.”

The enhanced subsidies, first expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic and later extended by Congress, lowered monthly premiums for many marketplace enrollees. Their expiration led to sharp premium increases for some consumers, and nonpartisan analysts projected that several million people could lose coverage in 2026.

Warnock also questioned the scope and purpose of the Iran operation, which the White House said was aimed at curbing Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs. U.S. and Israeli forces began coordinated strikes late last week, prompting Iranian retaliation and raising concerns about broader regional escalation.

“What’s the plan? What’s the strategy? How do we exit? How much will this cost?” Warnock said. “Americans deserve an answer.”

Warnock said the administration’s approach reflected a pattern of shifting resources away from domestic programs while committing funds to overseas conflicts. “We’ve seen trillions of dollars burn overseas while people are knocked off of their healthcare,” he said.

The senator’s remarks came as Democrats sharpen their criticism of the administration’s budget and foreign policy, seeking to draw contrasts between military spending and reductions in social programs ahead of this year’s congressional elections.