SHOCKING GOP Plan to Fund War with Health Care Cuts

Episode of Pod Save America · March 31, 2026 · 1 h 31 min

Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett dissect Trump's Iran war, its economic fallout and the GOP's health-care-funded war bill, before Tommy Vietor interviews Iowa Senate candidate Josh Turek.

Summary

Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett opened the episode in the second month of the U.S. war with Iran, with roughly 50,000 American troops in the region, the Strait of Hormuz still under Iranian control, and Trump publicly claiming "great progress" in negotiations while threatening to destroy Iran's electricity and water. Lovett argued the contradictory messaging was a deliberate attempt to calm markets, increase U.S. leverage and pre-assign blame to Iran if talks collapse, but said it worked only because Trump "is only a rational actor in the very short term." Favreau noted reporting that Iranian officials deny direct talks since late February and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has grown more influential, and both hosts questioned whether U.S. war aims — the nuclear material, reopening the Strait — could be achieved without ground troops.

Turning to the economy, the hosts cited Bloomberg reporting and Christine Lagarde's warning that the shock is "beyond what we can imagine," listing helium, fertilizer inputs, liquefied natural gas and plastics as affected supply chains. Lovett called the war a "world historic mistake" and said the United States would not be spared a global recession. They then reviewed signs of MAGA discontent — Ann Coulter and Marjorie Taylor Greene attacking Fox News, young attendees at CPAC criticizing the war — and Favreau cited Nate Silver's averages showing Trump near 39.7 percent approval with strong approval down to about 22 percent.

The hosts covered an Axios report that congressional Republicans were weighing cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare in a reconciliation bill to raise roughly $200 billion for the war and for ICE, which Lovett called the least popular possible pay-for and doubted could pass either chamber. They also discussed the nearly 50-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown, House Republicans' rejection of a unanimous Senate funding bill, Trump's executive order paying TSA workers, and the planned White House ballroom, which they described as an oversized, badly designed vanity project and a symbol of the administration's priorities.

In the second half, Tommy Vietor interviewed Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate in Iowa's open Senate race. Turek described being born with spina bifida linked to his father's Agent Orange exposure, 21 childhood surgeries, being cut six times before returning to win Paralympic medals, and his work in the Iowa legislature. He argued against spending on the Iran war while Iowa leads the nation in farm foreclosures and cancer rates, criticized Trump's mockery of Gavin Newsom's dyslexia, invoked Tom Harkin's "prairie populism," and claimed his overperformance in a Trump-won district makes him the most electable Democrat and Iowa potentially the 51st Senate seat.

Chapters

0:21
Cold open and show rundown
Favreau and Lovett previewed the episode's topics, including Iran, the DHS shutdown and Trump's ballroom.
1:50
Trump's contradictory Iran messaging
The hosts analyzed Trump's claims of negotiating progress alongside threats of war crimes, and what each side gains from public posturing.
13:59
War aims and the ground-troop question
Favreau and Lovett discussed reported plans to seize Kharg Island or remove nuclear material and Rubio's shifting statements of U.S. objectives.
18:16
The global economic shock
Using Lagarde's warning and expert commentary, the hosts argued the oil, gas, helium and fertilizer disruptions are far worse than markets assume.
27:10
MAGA discontent, CPAC and Trump's approval
The hosts reviewed right-wing criticism of the war, generational splits among Trump supporters, and record-low approval numbers.
34:59
Health care cuts to pay for the war
Favreau and Lovett assessed the GOP plan to fund the Iran war and ICE through a reconciliation bill cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Obamacare.
39:27
The DHS shutdown stalemate
The hosts covered House Republicans rejecting the Senate's unanimous funding bill, Trump's TSA pay order and Congress leaving for recess.
50:41
Trump's ballroom
The hosts mocked the design and scale of the White House ballroom and argued it symbolizes the administration's misplaced priorities.
57:47
Josh Turek on disability, the Paralympics and Iowa
Turek told Tommy Vietor about his spina bifida, Agent Orange link, bullying and Paralympic career, and how they shape his politics.
1:11:25
Iowa's farm crisis, cancer rates and the Senate primary
Turek discussed tariffs, fertilizer shortages, nitrate-linked cancer, Tom Harkin's legacy and his electability argument against Zach Wahls.

Key points

What was said, by whom, with the exact words. Timestamps jump to the moment.

Jon Lovett
Lovett argues Trump's claims of progress are aimed at calming markets to preserve leverage over Iran.
“He is signaling to markets that the conflict won't escalate with the hopes that that reduces the volatility of the markets”
Listen from 5:06 · United States war with Iran
Jon Lovett
Lovett contends Trump's approach only makes sense for someone who ignores long-term costs to his credibility.
“Trump is only a rational actor in the very short term”
Listen from 6:41 · United States war with Iran
Jon Favreau
Favreau cites intelligence reporting that IRGC hardliners now outrank the religious leadership, which he calls an ominous sign for talks.
“So not a great sign that the IRGC, who are the, you know, the most hardline hardliners in the whole country are the ones in charge right now”
Listen from 6:49 · Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Jon Favreau
Favreau says a president seeking an off-ramp would have to pretend the war is going well and that Iran is begging for a deal.
“So you have to act like everything is going wonderfully and they're the ones who are begging for a deal”
Listen from 7:14 · United States war with Iran
Jon Favreau
Favreau argues the Iranian regime's survival would itself count as a victory for Tehran against the U.S. and Israel.
“For them, the regime surviving, even with all this damage, is a win for them because then they can say and they can show the world the United States and Israel gave it everything they had”
Listen from 16:07 · Strait of Hormuz
Jon Favreau
Favreau says Iran is counting on American consumers' sensitivity to gas prices to create political problems for Trump.
“Iran is banking on the fact here that, you know, American consumers paying higher gas prices is going to cause a much bigger political problem for Donald Trump”
Listen from 23:28 · Gas prices and inflation
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues markets' optimism rests on an assumption that Trump cares about them, and the key question is when that assumption breaks.
“the markets ultimately expect Trump to respect the markets”
Listen from 26:26 · Donald Trump approval rating
Jon Lovett
Lovett attributes younger MAGA opposition to the war to their consumption of heterodox, less interventionist digital right-wing media rather than cable news.
“You're consuming it from digital right-wing news, which is much less interventionist, much more heterodox generally”
Listen from 30:44 · Conservative Political Action Conference
Jon Favreau
Favreau says polls are a lagging indicator that reflect public opinion from weeks earlier.
“one of the most common mistakes made in analyzing polls is that they are always always always a lagging indicator”
Listen from 32:01 · Donald Trump approval rating
Jon Favreau
Favreau reports Trump's polling average has fallen below 40 percent with strong approval at a record low, putting him in his worst territory ever.
“So Trump is like just in the worst territory that he's ever been and that other presidents have been”
Listen from 33:02 · Donald Trump approval rating
Jon Lovett
Lovett says funding the Iran war with health care cuts is the least politically popular option available to Republicans.
“I can't think of a of a less popular way for them to try to find 200 billion dollars to spend on the war in Iran”
Listen from 36:44 · Budget reconciliation in the United States
Jon Lovett
Lovett predicts the reconciliation bill cannot pass the House and that Collins, Paul and Murkowski would be Senate no votes.
“I don't assume the House will pass it. They don't have that much wiggle room in the House, less and less all the time”
Listen from 37:13 · Budget reconciliation in the United States
Jon Lovett
Lovett argues the Senate's unanimous DHS bill would have passed the House easily and that Mike Johnson blocked it for his own political protection.
“if Mike Johnson had brought the Senate bill that had passed unanimously to the floor of the House, it would have passed with a huge majority of Republicans and Democrats, a huge majority”
Listen from 41:16 · Department of Homeland Security shutdown
Jon Favreau
Favreau says Republicans could reopen the rest of DHS and fund ICE separately through reconciliation without Democratic votes.
“So just fucking open the rest of DHS like everyone else voted to do in the Senate, Republicans and Democrats, and then”
Listen from 44:28 · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Jon Lovett
Lovett says no 90,000-square-foot ballroom addition to the White House could avoid being an eyesore.
“there's no way to build a, I don't know, what was it, 90,000 square foot ballroom without it being a hideous monstrosity”
Listen from 52:49 · White House ballroom project
Jon Lovett
Lovett characterizes the demolition and construction at the White House as vandalism and argues Democrats should use the ballroom as a political symbol.
“It's vandalism. These people are vandals”
Listen from 54:12 · White House ballroom project
Jon Favreau
Favreau, after initially doubting calls to demolish the ballroom, concludes it should be torn down.
“Yeah, I think you fucking take this thing down”
Listen from 55:28 · White House ballroom project
Josh Turek
Turek says his spina bifida resulted from his father's Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam and required 21 surgeries before age 12.
“born with a condition called spina bifida due to my father's exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam”
Listen from 59:02 · Agent Orange
Josh Turek
Turek says Iowa has already lost three National Guard members in the conflict and calls it an unnecessary forever war.
“We've already lost three Iowans because the base that was hit in Kuwait, those were largely National Guardsmen from Iowa”
Listen from 1:04:19 · United States war with Iran
Josh Turek
Turek contrasts war spending with health care cuts, saying 110,000 Iowans lost coverage and clinics are closing statewide.
“110,000 Iowans lose their health care benefits. Thousands more lose their homes. food assistance”
Listen from 1:05:30 · Budget reconciliation in the United States
Josh Turek
Turek calls Trump's mockery of learning disabilities the behavior of a bully and urges disabled young people not to be defined by it.
“I've dealt with bullies my whole life and we've got a bully in the Oval Office”
Listen from 1:07:10 · Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
Josh Turek
Turek says Iowa now leads the nation in farm foreclosures and that a quarter to a third of farmers lack fertilizer ahead of planting season.
“you're looking at now somewhere between 25 and 30 percent of Iowa farmers do not have fertilizer”
Listen from 1:12:54 · Agriculture in Iowa
Josh Turek
Turek links Iowa's rising cancer rates to nitrate and pesticide levels in the water and proposes incentives and EPA enforcement.
“there is a direct correlation to what we're seeing with the nitrate levels, with the pesticide levels that is leading unquestionably to the cancer rates”
Listen from 1:15:48 · Roundup (herbicide)
Josh Turek
Turek argues he is the more electable Democrat because he overperformed in a Trump-won district by a wide margin.
“And I was able to win my district by nearly six points. That is 50% more overperformance than any other Democrat in the state”
Listen from 1:18:30 · 2026 United States midterm elections
Josh Turek Prediction · due Nov 2026
Turek predicts Iowa could flip three congressional seats and provide the 51st Senate seat for Democratic control.
“I believe it's Iowa and we can win this and we can win it with a candidate like me”
Listen from 1:22:00 · 2026 United States midterm elections

People

In the conversation

Jon FavreauCo-host of Pod Save America and former speechwriter for President Barack Obama
Jon LovettCo-host of Pod Save America; diarization split of the same speaker during the economics segment
Tommy VietorCo-host of Pod Save America and Pod Save the World who conducted the Josh Turek interview
Josh TurekIowa state legislator, Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball, and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa

Discussed

Donald TrumpPresident of the United States whose conduct of the Iran war is the episode's main subject
Marco RubioU.S. Secretary of State who defended the Iran campaign at a cabinet meeting
Karoline LeavittWhite House press secretary referenced in a discussion of briefings
Christine LagardePresident of the European Central Bank who warned of a severe global economic shock
Ann CoulterConservative commentator who criticized Fox News coverage of the Iran war
Marjorie Taylor GreeneRepublican former congresswoman who called Fox News 'fake news' over its war coverage
Mike JohnsonSpeaker of the House, blamed by the hosts for not bringing the Senate DHS bill to the floor
Lindsey GrahamU.S. Senator named by Kelly as an advocate for the Iran war
Tom HarkinFormer Democratic senator from Iowa and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act, cited by Turek as his political hero
Gavin NewsomGovernor of California, cited for his 2018 primary strategy
Zach WahlsIowa state senator and Turek's rival for the Democratic Senate nomination
Rob SandIowa state auditor running for governor as a Democrat
Greg BovinoBorder Patrol official who tried to keep official social media accounts after leaving his post
Nate SilverElections analyst whose polling model and averages are cited
Steve ScaliseHouse Republican leader who said Senate Republicans had 'buyer's remorse' over the DHS deal
Chris MurphyDemocratic U.S. Senator from Connecticut quoted on the TSA emergency
Ashley HinsonRepublican congresswoman from Iowa, cited as tied with Turek in a poll

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From the publisher

Congressional Republicans consider massive cuts to federal healthcare spending in order to raise $200 billion to fund Trump's war in Iran. Jon and Lovett discuss how that plan could affect Republicans in the midterms, Trump's ballooning economic crisis, and his desperate attempt to calm the markets by saying negotiations have made "great progress" while simultaneously threatening Iran with war crimes. Then, the guys check in on how the war is playing among young Republicans at CPAC, House Republicans' fight with Senate Republicans over funding DHS, and Trump's real top priority — the construction of his poorly designed ballroom. Then, Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Iowa, stops by the studio to talk to Tommy about "prairie populism" and the president's disdain for disabled Americans. For a closed-captioned version of this episode, click here . For a transcript of this episode, please email transcripts@crooked.com and include the name of the podcast.

Summary, chapters and key points were generated from the episode transcript on September 27, 2026. Quotes are checked word for word against the transcript.

Categories: Politics·News Commentary·Government