Format is a transcript of a March 20, 2026 Daily Blast podcast episode hosted by Greg Sargent, featuring Rep. Adam Smith (ranking Democrat on House Armed Services).
Host cites a Reuters report describing planning discussions about deploying âthousandsâ of troops, including concepts tied to the Strait of Hormuz and Kharg Island; Smith characterizes this as escalation pressure.
Host says the Washington Post reported the Pentagon may seek an additional $200 billion from Congress; the transcript frames it as a leak from inside the administration.
Smith claims the war has already involved U.S. deaths (â13 service membersâ lives already lostâ), major economic disruption, and multiple countries âdragged intoâ the conflict, and cites the killing of â150 schoolgirls in Iran,â but the transcript does not provide corroborating sourcing for these figures/events.
Smith argues Trump is pursuing regime change, says an âimminent threatâ rationale is unsupported, and contends Congress has not held a public hearing despite being âthree weeks into this war.â
Smith urges Democrats to oppose any additional war funding absent ending the war, and says oversight tools could include public hearings and potentially subpoenas for Pentagon officials.
Trump is quoted responding to a question about $200 billion by suggesting broader needs beyond Iran; Smith interprets this as open-ended militarization and points to stated ambitions like Greenland/Panama/Canada/Cuba (as described in the interview).