The Democratic sweep that stunned much of Washington on Tuesday night could drastically shorten President Trump’s runway to end the war in Iran, which even he conceded was a driving force in the election blowout.
When Democrats take control of the House and Senate in January, they will have new leverage over Pentagon spending, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) made clear that his party intends to use it.
“We are going to end the war," Schumer said at a press conference.
"We have some Republicans already who have joined us in ending the war, and the Founding Fathers had the power of the purse as one of the ways of deterring a president who does war without the consent of the American people,” he continued.
The Trump administration has asked Congress for a $1.5 trillion defense budget for next year, including additional Pentagon spending through reconciliation. It has separately requested emergency funding to cover costs tied to the Iran war.
Some Republican lawmakers have reportedly begun talking about a year-end reconciliation bill that could include funding for the Iran war and several other GOP priorities.
That process could allow Republicans to approve the money without Democratic votes, but they have only a few weeks in session to agree on a package and get it through both chambers. They also have to address the Dec. 11 government funding deadline.
It's unclear how many Republican lawmakers are willing to vote for more war funding after Tuesday’s losses. Both Trump and Vice President Vance said the war hurt their party at the polls.
“The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night,” Vance wrote on social media. “If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so. Argue it was a worthwhile cost to pay.”
“But everyone knows why we lost,” he added. “And any honest conversation about where we go from here must start there.”
Trump did just that. He said he agreed with the vice president’s assessment but said he doesn’t regret getting involved in the war.
“I think it's largely true because it drove the gasoline up a little bit, short term, and probably — that's probably, it's true,” Trump told reporters about Vance’s comments, during an event celebrating his White House ballroom. “But at the same time, if I had it to do again, I'd have to do it again because long term, it's the only answer. You can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon."
Democrats could also demand accountability from the administration by bringing another war powers resolution. In June, both chambers adopted a concurrent resolution directing Trump to halt unauthorized military activity against Iran, but concurrent resolutions don’t get sent to the president’s desk, and the White House dismissed it as not having force of law.
Democrats this time could pass a joint resolution and send it to Trump for a signature. But if he vetoed the measure, it would take two-thirds of both chambers to override his decision. Even with their new majorities and growing unease over the war among some Republicans, Democrats would need substantial GOP support to override a veto.
Democrats have also indicated they intend to scrutinize the Pentagon and its chief, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, told Axios that Hegseth “will be forced to answer” for his “chaotic and incompetent leadership.”
He could face punitive measures even before Democrats take control, as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is promising an impeachment vote when Congress returns this month, unless the Pentagon chief resigns first.
The shifting winds in Washington come as Trump weighs his next step on Iran, with The Hill reporting earlier this week that the president could be leaning toward resuming military activity in Iran over efforts to renew peace talks.
Iranian officials have cast the midterm results as a rejection of the war, but they are still bracing for Trump’s next move, warning the U.S. against more strikes but saying they are prepared to respond if necessary.
"Conscience or the cost of living, Americans said NO TO WAR, and we endorse this message," Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator, wrote in a post on X.
Alexander Bolton has a new piece out for The Hill Insider on how Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) are already planning to use their majorities to constrain Trump’s agenda. High on that list, he reports, is the Iran war, which voters blame for high gas, diesel and grocery prices.
▪ The Hill: Democrats signal oversight blitz.
▪ The Hill: U.S. strikes on Iran kept quiet during midterm homestretch.
▪ CNN: What Trump’s setback could mean for Iran, Israel, Ukraine.
