Analysis · Floor speech · beta

George Latimer

Democrat on High Cost of War 2026-07-21

156 words · 5 sentences · 9 clauses

Statement grade

Average 79 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 13%Claims 69%The ask 19%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. Speaker, Procedure · 20 wordsI rise today more than 5 months since the American people were forced into a war of choice in Iran.¹Procedure Claims · 107 wordsAs the President’s negotiations fail, Americans are still bearing the expense every day. This is all while Russell Vought and Pete Hegseth claim the cost of the war to be roughly $30 billion, ²but the President’s request for extra funds puts the true cost at a staggering $100 billion, ³Unearned certaintyif not more. With this money, we could have instead paid for: 66 million Social Security retirement checks, 2 years of free school lunch for every child in the United States, 2 million teachers’ salaries, 1 million 4- year college degrees, or the entire SNAP program for a year, serving 40 million Americans in need of food assistance.⁴ The ask · 29 wordsIt is imperative that Congress exercise our congressional oversight authority so that these stratospheric costs receive due scrutiny and the voice of the people we represent may be heard.Vague promise

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 86

1 of 3 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I rise today more than 5 months since the American people were forced into a war of choice in Iran.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Reasoning · 87

0 of 3 deductions are Reasoning

Reasoning checks for sound logic and solid support for any conclusion. A low score means the speaker made unsupported leaps or used weak arguments.

Nothing lost points.

Conclusions found · 1

Conclusion“It is imperative that Congress exercise our congressional oversight authority so that these stratospheric costs receive due scrutiny and the voice of the people we represent may be heard.”

Because“This is all while Russell Vought and Pete Hegseth claim the cost of the war to be roughly $30 billion,”

“but the President’s request for extra funds puts the true cost at a staggering $100 billion,”

“if not more.”

Reason given

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 65

2 of 3 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

Something stated as certain with nothing to back it.What the tags mean “puts the true cost”Asserts the ‘true’ cost as settled in place of the source it relies on.
A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “It is imperative that Congress exercise our congressional oversight authority”A call with no actor, date, measure, or success condition.

Claims · 4

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“more than 5 months since the American people were forced into a war of choice in Iran”A US war with Iran began more than 5 months before this July 21, 2026 speech, i.e. by mid-February 2026.search
2“Russell Vought and Pete Hegseth claim the cost of the war to be roughly $30 billion”Russell Vought and Pete Hegseth have stated the cost of the Iran war to be roughly $30 billion.search
3“the President’s request for extra funds puts the true cost at a staggering $100 billion”The President’s request for additional war funding puts the total cost of the Iran war at about $100 billion.search
4“the entire SNAP program for a year, serving 40 million Americans in need of food assistance”The SNAP program serves about 40 million Americans.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15