Republican lawmakers appear uncertain over what steps to take regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s war against Iran amid confusing signals from the White House about its strategy and priorities, a continued lack of specifics from the Defense Department about funding needs, and the conflict’s rising unpopularity with American voters ahead of the fall midterm elections.
After a two-week spring recess, senators this week returned to Capitol Hill, where Republican members were pushed to answer questions on whether they had concerns with Trump’s recent threat to destroy Iranian civilization, how long they would continue to support an unauthorized war, and how they planned to address the administration’s request for hundreds of billions of dollars in increased military spending in a narrowly divided Congress—and against a backdrop of Democrats criticizing them for ignoring voters’ desire to focus on bringing down the cost of living.
Republican lawmakers appear uncertain over what steps to take regarding U.S. President Donald Trump’s war against Iran amid confusing signals from the White House about its strategy and priorities, a continued lack of specifics from the Defense Department about funding needs, and the conflict’s rising unpopularity with American voters ahead of the fall midterm elections.
After a two-week spring recess, senators this week returned to Capitol Hill, where Republican members were pushed to answer questions on whether they had concerns with Trump’s recent threat to destroy Iranian civilization, how long they would continue to support an unauthorized war, and how they planned to address the administration’s request for hundreds of billions of dollars in increased military spending in a narrowly divided Congress—and against a backdrop of Democrats criticizing them for ignoring voters’ desire to focus on bringing down the cost of living.
By and large, Republicans did not have answers to these questions from reporters and sought either to change the subject when asked about Trump’s public threats to carry out war crimes against the Iranian people or to praise his latest tactic to counter Tehran’s shuttering of the Strait of Hormuz by imposing a U.S. blockade of tankers going into and out of Iran.
When asked if he had any concerns about Trump’s threat last week to end Iranian civilization, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Tuesday he was more focused on what the president was doing. “He’s trying to open up the Strait of Hormuz, which we are all supportive, and the efforts that are being made there to further isolate the Iranian regime and their economy … hopefully will have the desired effect, and we’ll get the strait open again.”
Not counting the shaky cease-fire that began on April 8, the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has been going on for more than 45 days. Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, U.S. military hostilities initiated without permission by Congress, such as the Iran war, are suppos