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WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson, a top Republican ally of President Donald Trump, is pushing for an end to the Iran war as fighting has intensified in a conflict that voters say they are growing weary of.
''We got to wrap it up,'' Johnson, R-Louisiana, said in a July 21 press conference.
As the United States enters a possible 12th day of strikes on Iran and multiple Arab Gulf allies report attacks from Iran, the unpopular war seems to be escalating, despite the White House's ongoing efforts for negotiations and a cease-fire.
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The escalation could pose a political dilemma for Republicans who aim to maintain fragile majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate in November's midterms. A POLITICO poll released Wednesday revealed that only about a third of MAGA voters say that the Iran war is worth the economic strain – down from almost half of MAGA voters in May. A Washington Post/Ipsos poll only a week before reported more than two-thirds of Americans disapproving of the president's handling of the conflict.
Trump's Wednesday schedule includes attending a dignified transfer of four U.S. service members killed in the conflict last weekend. The president continued his calls for military action while en route to the event at an Air Force base in Delaware, writing on Truth Social:
“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT, including those located next to, or in, the Capital City of Tehran. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
The House of Representatives is expected to vote again this week on a war powers resolution to end American involvement in the conflict before the chamber leaves for a monthlong August recess.
The speaker told USA Today in late June that if fighting continued, a renewed 60-day clock on congressional authorization on military action could be needed.
(This story has been updated with new information.)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'We got to wrap it up.' House Speaker Johnson pushes to end Iran war
