Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday that Democrats handed Republicans a major political opportunity as debates intensify over national security, the threat from Iran, and funding disputes tied to the Department of Homeland Security.

Appearing on “Kudlow,” Gingrich said the Democrats’ political strategy has created an opening for Republicans to sharpen their message and connect national security concerns directly to voters. Gingrich cited the ongoing political fight over federal security funding.

“I really believe Trump’s doing the right thing. And again, I think in terms of TSA [Transportation Security Administration], the Democrats have given Republicans this huge gift. They are holding the country hostage for political reasons,” Gingrich told host Larry Kudlow. “And now’s the moment to say to people like [Georgia Democratic Sen.] Jon Ossoff, ‘Are you really so left wing, and does Chuck Schumer really control you so much? You’ll sell out the Atlanta airport. You’ll sell out Delta Airlines. And you don’t care what happens to Georgians because you really represent California.’ That’s the message they have to drive every single day right now.”

The Senate has deadlocked over funding the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the TSA, which runs airport security. Several funding proposals failed to reach the 60‑vote threshold needed to advance in the Senate, with Ossoff joining most Senate Democrats in opposing the bill and leaving the proposal short of the votes required to move forward.

Gingrich said the threat is immediate and real, warning that the Iranian dictatorship has been openly hostile toward the United States since 1979.

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“Remember, all you have to ask is a straightforward question: What is it worth to you to not have an Iranian nuclear weapon wipe out your city? You can be faced literally with your city being destroyed. This is not fear-mongering. The Iranian dictatorship has been at war with the United States since 1979,” Gingrich added. “Their parliament chants ‘Death to America. They are trying to get nuclear weapons and missiles. They have a determination to defeat us. And so what’s it worth to you to have a president with the courage to stand up and do what’s right versus all these talking heads on television who don’t want to face the cost of their policy ideas?’”

The United States and Iran have had hostile relations since the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which included the Iran hostage crisis. The two countries have never formally declared war on each other under international law. The United States and Iran have engaged in repeated bouts of conflict, proxy confrontations, and diplomatic breakdowns that have sustained those tensions over many years.

President Donald Trump’s administration launched major strikes against Iran under “Operation Epic Fury.” U.S. military leaders said they will ensure American interests are protected and that Iran cannot outlast U.S. forces in the fight. The attack has started an ongoing war with Iran that exposed deep divisions in American public opinion. Polling suggests this conflict may be one of the least popular in modern U.S. history, as many Americans express discomfort with continued military engagement.

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