VoteVets Action Fund has launched a $250,000 advertising campaign against Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a Wisconsin Republican, tying a proposed $200 billion Iran war funding request to higher gas prices and accusing him of siding with Pentagon spending over veterans’ care.
VoteVets Action Fund, a progressive veterans group aligned with Democrats, began a $250,000 advertising campaign targeting Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) as Congress considers the Trump administration’s request for a $200 billion supplemental appropriation related to U.S. military operations in Iran.
The group released a 30-second ad that features a narrator identified as a Marine Corps veteran. In the spot, the narrator points to rising fuel costs and says Americans are “paying the cost every damn day” of the war, while accusing Van Orden of pushing for “another $200 billion” for Iran.
VoteVets’ announcement frames the effort around a two-week congressional recess and what it described as gas prices hitting $4 a gallon. The ad and accompanying materials also accuse Van Orden of backing “big cuts” to Department of Veterans Affairs care, though the campaign materials reviewed do not cite a specific vote or legislative text for that allegation.
Van Orden, a retired Navy SEAL and combat veteran, has dismissed VoteVets publicly and has voiced support for President Donald Trump’s military operation while opposing the deployment of U.S. ground troops. In a CNN interview in March, Van Orden echoed the administration’s argument for the operation, saying Iran “has been at war with the United States for 47 years.”
The advertising push comes as polling shows broad public unease with the conflict. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted March 27–29 and released March 31 found that 66% of Americans said the United States should work to end its involvement in the Iran conflict quickly even if that means not achieving all U.S. goals. In the same poll, 56% said they expected the military action to have a negative impact on their personal financial situation.
VoteVets said the ad buy will run across broadcast and digital platforms, including streaming and social media, and is initially focused on Van Orden’s district, with the group signaling possible expansion to other competitive House districts.
