Senate Republicans Are Eager to See an Iran War Off-Ramp

Senate Republicans returning to Washington on Monday said they need to see a plan to end the war with Iran before they will vote to extend the military operation.

“They need a plan for how to wind this down, how to get an outcome that actually leads to a safer, more secure Middle East and, by extension, a stronger national-security position for the United States,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday.

Congress returned to session Monday after a two-week recess –– more than six weeks since the U.S. and Israel began its bombing campaign against Iran. Lawmakers are quickly approaching the 60-day mark to vote on whether to continue the conflict.

While lawmakers remained in their states, President Donald Trump threatened sweeping attacks on Iranian civilian infrastructure, warning that a whole “civilization” could be wiped out. That pressure campaign helped produce a shaky two-week ceasefire that gave way after weekend talks failed to deliver a broader deal to end the war.

On Monday, the Trump administration escalated with a naval blockade that raised new fear of a more sustained conflict in the region and drove gas prices even further up.

Before the recess, many Senate Republicans said they were comfortable with a quick-and-limited military operation aimed at pressuring Iran into a deal and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Now, as the war stretches on and the ceasefire is set to end soon without a deal in place, some Republicans are starting to sound more uneasy about where the war is headed and are demanding an exit plan.

Sen. Thom Tillis told reporters on Monday that he was “looking at the 60 day target” when it comes to voting on extending the military campaign under the Authorization for Use of Military Force of 2001, first used against Afghanistan.

“You either are articulating an exit plan that would make an AUMF moot or you’re planning to be there for an extended period of time, which means the AUMF is necessary,” Tillis said.

“I can’t be comfortable because I don’t know what the strategy is,” Tillis said, adding that the administration needs “a better articulation of our strategic objectives.”

Sen. Jon Husted told reporters on Monday that the Trump administration needs to keep to its original commitment of a quick-and-productive military operation in the region.

“The military operation needs to be brief and successful,” Husted said. “The president said it would take weeks and not months, and he should stick to that goal.”

Sen. Josh Hawley told reporters that though the military effort is still a few weeks off from its 60-day mark, he wants to see a vote in Congress to authorize further actions. He also wants to see more communication from the Trump administration about its objectives and plans to exit the region before voting to extend the war effort.

“Where does this go next, I don’t know,” Hawley said. “I hope that there’s a time, there’s a plan to draw this to a conclusion. I think it’s time to exit in a way that preserves our national security.”

“If they said, ‘Well, we need 30 more days but here’s what we’re going to do,’ then maybe I would be satisfied,” he added.

Thune told reporters that Congress does not need to authorize military action until the Trump administration’s national emergency has expired. But, he said that a funding request from the administration could be an “inflection point” for Senate Republicans.

“My assumption is yes,” Thune said when asked if a vote to authorize the war would have to come before a supplemental funding bill is passed.

“I think our members are going to be very interested in what next steps are,” he added. “That, I think, will be an important inflection point if and when the administration submits the request and when that comes up for consideration.”

Sen. Mike Rounds said that many of the questions he heard back home during the recess centered on what comes next.

“What can you tell us that we don’t see on the news?” Rounds said he was asked. “The next question is, how does it end?”

He echoed the 60-day mark, saying the Trump administration should come to Congress and lay out “the point and the plan moving forward.”

Rounds said his constituents are “concerned” about the rising gas prices as a result of the war.

The increased hesitation built on pushback from Republicans in both chambers last week after Trump threatened in a post on Truth Social that “a whole civilization will die” if Iranian officials did not open the Strait of Hormuz.

Democrats in both chambers are also preparing to force votes this week aimed at limiting the president’s war authority. Similar efforts before the recess drew little Republican support, but it’s not yet clear whether the latest developments have shifted the dynamic.

The Democrats’ plan aims to turn the screws on GOP lawmakers, teeing up six votes on war powers resolutions aiming to limit hostilities against Iran. Such measures are privileged under the War Powers Act and must receive a vote on the floor in the coming weeks, upending Republican control of the agenda and putting pressure on vulnerable GOP senators facing questions about another unpopular war in the Middle East.

“We’re going to have a debate and a vote every week in the United States Senate until either this war comes to an end or our Republican colleagues decide to do their constitutional duty,” Sen. Chris Murphy said on Monday at a press conference on Capitol Hill.