Democratic Maryland Representative Johnny Olszewski told NewsNation host Chris Cuomo on Tuesday that he supports blocking additional funding to halt the Iran conflict yet rejects a full federal shutdown because it would leave transportation security workers unpaid and weaken public safety.

He backs this week’s war powers vote along with spending bills that deny new money and add restrictions. The fighting has killed 18 people, wounded 800, and already cost tens of billions of dollars plus about 1400 dollars for a typical American household.

If Democrats win the House, Olszewski said they would gain greater budget influence plus subpoena and oversight powers to show Americans what has gone wrong. As a Foreign Affairs Committee member he noted that the president, vice president, and military specialists view the campaign as a serious failure that has left the United States in a weaker position, depleted munitions, strained bases, and raised the risk of being unable to protect citizens against a stronger rival such as China.