President Donald Trump has reportedly been facing his first political loss on the Iran war. Moreover, votes in Congress this week could hand Democrats a rare win. Nearly three months into the conflict, cracks are forming within the Republican Party over the Iran war, and they are widening fast. A series of congressional votes this week could deliver Trump a political roadblock.
Donald Trump faces resistance from GOP over Iran war
Tuesday’s Senate vote was a blow that the White House did not expect. Democrats advanced a war powers measure, buoyed in part by Republican no-shows and, more tellingly, outright defections. Some came from GOP members whose own primary defeats Donald Trump had a hand in just days earlier.
The House was set to follow on Wednesday, but more absences and last-minute switches pushed that vote to Thursday, where a joint push from Democrats and a pocket of Republicans could produce an even larger defeat for the president (via Politico).
“The story today is the momentum is growing for Republican members to say, ‘You can’t do this war without us,'” said Sen. Tim Kaine, one of the organizers of the measure. Two pressures are pushing Republicans toward the exit. The administration has repeatedly missed legal deadlines to bring the Iran war to a close, leaving many in the party feeling bypassed. Meanwhile, gas prices continue to climb, pulling GOP approval numbers down at the worst possible time as midterm elections are on the horizon.
The votes, even if they pass, are unlikely to end the war. Trump could veto any legislation that reaches his desk, and neither chamber has the numbers to override him. Senate Republicans are also expected to maneuver against the measure once they return to full strength. However, the political cost is already landing. What Trump is facing now is not resistance from the other side; it is resistance from his own.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
