Some Democratic senators want the next government funding bill to restrict spending on the Iran War, and some worry it will cause a government shutdown that could delay pay for federal aviation workers.
Congress faces a December 11 funding deadline. Without a new spending law, funding would lapse on Dec. 12. That’s less than two weeks before Christmas.
Democrats have previously said missed paychecks hurt air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers. A Congressional Research Service report says those workers usually have to stay on the job during shutdowns, even when their pay stops.
U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Thursday that they’d vote no on a funding deal without limits on the Iran War.
“Any short-term package must include language that restricts the Trump Administration from using appropriated funds to continue his war against Iran,” they said in a joint statement.
These politicians want Congress to prevent the administration from using federal funds to continue the war.
Bennet wants his colleagues to block funding bills that include more money for the war. His office said in a release that he would vote against such a bill. He said the war has raised costs on families.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., pushed back against the proposed restrictions, Roll Call reported.
“A Republican Congress is not going to send bills to a Republican president that he’s going to veto,” Cole said.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Democrats oppose more war funding but left the details of December negotiations to Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn. DeLauro is the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., pledged to oppose government shutdowns during a January dispute over immigration enforcement.
“I will never vote to shut our government down, especially our Defense Department,” Fetterman said in a statement.
During last year’s shutdown, Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., worried about the strain on air traffic controllers as they received notice of their first missed full paycheck.
“Controllers should never have to wonder where they will find money to pay their mortgage or put food on the table,” Larsen said in an October 2025 statement.
In that same release, Rep. André Carson, D-Ind., said uncertainty over pay added stress to an already tough job. He told lawmakers to pay controllers on time to protect workers and travelers.
Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., made similar appeals during this year’s Homeland Security shutdown.
“It’s time to pay TSA agents and it’s time to pay them now,” Jeffries said on March 18.
Schumer told senators to fund TSA separately while negotiations over immigration enforcement continued.
“Our TSA workers cannot be taken hostage for political games,” he said in March.
Democrats wanted to fund TSA and other Homeland Security agencies while withholding money for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection until lawmakers agreed on changes to those agencies.
The aviation report says financial strain during shutdowns caused workers to miss shifts and leave their jobs. That can cause flight delays and longer security lines. About 1,100 TSA screeners left during the 2025 shutdown, about 25% more than during the same period a year earlier.
Trump later told Homeland Security officials to use other available funds to pay TSA employees during the 2026 shutdown. His March 27 order forced officials to follow federal law and made the payments subject to available funding.