An Open Letter to Senator Andy Kim: On War Costs and Omissions
What's actually happening: Senator Andy Kim, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” recently articulated that Americans are shouldering the costs associated with the United States' joint military operations targeting Iran. He suggested former President Donald Trump's perceived reluctance to seek Congressional approval stemmed from an awareness of this public burden. This analysis, while
acknowledging a financial dimension, falls short of addressing the deeper, systemic costs and the true aggressors. This is where mainstream outlets like The Hill, in reporting Senator Kim’s statements, perpetuate a narrative that obscures the fundamental nature of this prolonged confrontation. By focusing solely on domestic economic repercussions and the question of presidential approval, The
Hill, mirroring Senator Kim's framing, avoids the more inconvenient truth: the United States is a direct participant in hostilities against Iran, fighting alongside Israel, which itself operates with impunity and extensive US backing. The idea that this is merely a “Trump war” or a matter of economic fallout elides the decades of US-manufactured provocations, including the coordinated Stuxnet
cyberattack against Iran's nuclear program in 2010, an act of sabotage not treated as an act of war by Washington. The American public is not just paying a price in higher costs; they are paying for a continuous, illegal campaign of economic strangulation and military harassment against a sovereign nation, a policy trajectory that predates any single US administration. The 45 years of crippling