The $30 billion gamble

A growing number of Hill Republicans are expressing frustration with President Donald Trump's shifting strategy in Iran, fearing it could cost them their majority in the midterm elections. Hours after Trump threatened to seize a key Iranian oil hub, several key Republicans, from centrists to leadership allies to MAGA loyalists,voiced deep discomfort with the president's approach, warning that his threats to deepen the conflict lack a clear strategy.

With gas prices and inflation spiking again, these lawmakers fear the war will become the defining issue of an already tough election cycle.

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Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia said in an interview that people are really feeling the impact of rising costs, not just for gas but for food and other necessities, and that there is a level of frustration that pressures the president to reach a peace solution.

Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, a centrist who supports defanging Iran's nuclear capabilities, stressed the need for an exit strategy, saying the US must get the job done and get out.

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The angst over the war has been building for weeks, with a growing chorus of lawmakers bluntly warning about the economic toll of the conflict and calling for a swift end.

Trump's main response has been a push to temporarily freeze the federal gas tax, a measure widely panned by Republicans who say it would result in little savings back home.

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The fact that the party is not focused on kitchen table issues is seen as a problem .

This rising unease extends to party leaders about navigating the politics of the war, inflation, and voter anger alongside a president who demands full loyalty.

Tehran's two-track response

On Iran, there are worries about delivering Trump's massive Pentagon funding request of up to $350 billion by August, amid widespread discontent over military strategy.

Several top lawmakers , including House GOP spending leader Tom Cole, have complained about being kept in the dark regarding the war's cost.

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Others lament that Trump has not laid out a convincing case to the public or to them personally.

Some, like Representative Nick LaLota of New York,are not ruling out backing a vote to formally authorize the conflict against party leaders' wishes to assert Congress's authority in the months-long war.

Retiring Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska said the administration has not done a good job of presenting its case .

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Congressional Republicans are broadly skeptical of putting US troops on the ground and prolonging the war, which includes Trump's threat to seize Kharg Island that drew sharp warnings from his party.

LaLota stated he does not support boots on the ground and does not think America has the stomach for that, but when asked about authorizing such an operation, he did not rule out considering it if a proposal is made.