Dire Straits

Josh Hawley
Sen. Josh Hawley pushed for “crushing” sanctions against Iran over its drone and missile attacks on Israel during the Biden administration, but stopped short of advocating military confrontation. He’s loath to criticize Trump, but has also said that the war should be over. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
March 15, 2026

Join Puck to listen to this article

As the war in Iran enters its third week, Republicans on Capitol Hill have a slow-motion disaster playing out on their hands: 13 U.S. soldiers have died, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, rising gas prices have consumed the national narrative, and Trump’s quickie war appears nowhere near its conclusion. And yet most Republican lawmakers—even the ones representing swing districts—don’t quite see it that way. In fact, they are so supportive of the president’s war that it’s barely a topic of conversation in closed-door meetings. The Senate is fixated on voter ID laws, and the war didn’t even come up during a closed-door, vent-anything Q&A sesh with leadership at the House Republican retreat at Doral.