By David Morgan
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – The top Republican in the U.S. Congress said on Wednesday he was not concerned that economic fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran could overshadow Republican messaging on affordability in the November midterm elections.
House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told Reuters that Republicans have been consistent on economic issues and would remain so through November, saying world events were beyond lawmakers’ control and must be dealt with as they unfold.
Johnson said he believed the president was aware of the economic risks and would “do the right thing,” but “I don’t think we could have waited on what’s happening in Iran.”
Republican lawmakers had been pressing President Donald Trump for months to spend more time focused on domestic issues and less on foreign policy amid public opinion polling showing dwindling confidence in Trump’s stewardship of the economy.
Political strategists say that the new war with Iran, which has only tepid support among Americans, is a politically risky gamble by Trump.
With the midterm elections eight months away and voters most concerned about healthcare and the cost of living, Republicans are promoting their elimination of taxes on tip income and overtime pay last year as a direct benefit to American families, while pushing forward on legislation aimed at making housing more affordable.
The widening Middle East conflict has sent oil and natural gas prices higher, caused volatility in global markets and raised concerns about a more general economic impact.
“Every day is another day closer to the election,” said Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, a Trump critic who is retiring from the Senate. “We’ve got to start looking at it that way. Otherwise, you’re going to have de-risking decisions and other things that could impact prices, availability, supply chains and energy.”
Some White House officials worry that the Iran war could hurt Republican hopes of keeping control of Congress, with House Republicans viewed as most vulnerable.
Five days into the war with Iran, Johnson and other Republicans say they stand with Trump and what they view as his effective and appropriate response to the global dangers presented by the Iran regime.
“Any time that you’re in a military action like this one, you always recognize that there are costs involved with it,” said Republican Senator Mike Rounds.
“We know the markets are going to respond anytime they think there’s a risk to international shipping, but we don’t know how else you fix the international shipping threat unless you address the root cause of it, which in this case is Iran.”
Only one in four Americans approves of U.S. strikes on Iran, while about half – including one in four Republicans – believe Trump is too willing to use military force, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
The war has also proved to be a unity test for Trump’s MAGA movement, with some of its most prominent voices speaking out against it and warning that it could hurt Republicans in November.
(Reporting by David Morgan, Editing by Ross Colvin and Alistair Bell)
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