What Congress Could Do to Stop the War

Analysis What Congress Could Do to Stop the War Republicans are declining to use their power of the purse. A pencil drawing of a man smiling and wearing glasses Julian E. Zelizer By Julian E. Zelizer, a columnist at Foreign Policy and a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. Sign up for Julian’s newsletter, The Long View, here. Veterans, military family members, and supporters are detained by U.S. Capitol Police officers during an demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Washington, on April 20. Veterans, military family members, and supporters are detained by U.S. Capitol Police officers during an demonstration in the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, Washington, on April 20. Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for About Face: Veterans Against The War United States April 28, 2026, 12:01 AM Iran War Analysis and news. The United States has been engaged in a war of choice against Iran for nearly two months. Negotiations to end the military conflict are underway but are yet to reach a conclusion. Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled Congress has rallied behind President Donald Trump as he has waged a major bombing campaign that has destabilized the global economy, further fractured traditional alliances, and arguably strengthened the very regime it promised to weaken—one that now understands its capacity to roil world markets by closing the Strait of Hormuz. The nuclear material and expertise that the regime possessed remains in the country. Even during the cease-fire, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic proposal to impose tighter constraints on the president’s war powers. The United States has been engaged in a war of choice against Iran for nearly two months. Negotiations to end the military conflict are underway but are yet to reach a conclusion. Meanwhile, the Republican-controlled Congress has rallied behind President Donald Trump as he has waged a major bombing campaign that has destabilized the global economy, further fractured traditional alliances, and arguably strengthened the very regime it promised to weaken—one that now understands its capacity to roil world markets by closing the Strait of Hormuz. The nuclear material and expertise that the regime possessed remains in the country. Even during the cease-fire, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic proposal to impose tighter constraints on the president’s war powers. Although serious questions have been raised about the president’s mental stability, thanks to his social media posts threatening to erase an entire civilization and later attacking the pope, the Republican congressional majority has generally remained silent. Unless Congress changes hands in the midterms, there is little reason for Trump to fear any shift in that posture. The congressional wing of the GOP has made a calculated bet that despite growing rumblings among MAGA influencers and sliding approval numbers, protecting the president and backing the war remains in the party’s political interest. The partisan imperative guides everything. Republican support for the president’s policy in Iran should not be mistaken as the consequence of a surrender of legislative power. Congress retains its constitutional authority, including control over military appropriations, and could quickly force Trump’s hand if Republicans leaders choose to act. Just as Iran is a war of choice, congressional complicity is a choice as well. There is another path forward, however.…

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