Trump's Iran Rebuke
Trump Criticizes Senate Republicans Over Iran War Vote After Canceling Bill Signing
President Trump publicly berated Senate Republicans on June 24, 2026, after the Senate passed a war powers resolution 50-48 to block his military authority over the Iran conflict, according to AP News. Trump showed up to a GOP lunch at the Capitol and got into a heated shouting match with Republican senators — then canceled a scheduled signing ceremony for a popular housing affordability bill in retaliation.
The blowup caps a four-month conflict that has killed 13 U.S. service members, cost consumers $132 billion, and pushed gas prices to a national average of $4.56 per gallon, according to AP News. Now the infighting threatens to derail the GOP's entire legislative agenda heading into the midterms.
Trump Cancels Housing Bill to Punish Senate Defectors
Trump abruptly scrapped a noon signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing affordability bill on June 24, according to PBS News. He blamed Senate Republicans for failing to pass his "SAVE America Act," a separate bill focused on voter ID and citizenship requirements. Senator Chuck Schumer called the move "running away from one of the very few accomplishments that could actually help the American people," WTTW reported.
Political analysts say Trump used the housing bill as a "leverage play" to force movement on his voting bill, even at the cost of a rare bipartisan win on affordability, according to The Washington Post. Senate business has effectively ground to a halt. Trump is demanding Republicans eliminate the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act. Majority Leader John Thune has privately said that goal "is just not realistic."
Shouting Match at the Capitol: Trump Calls Cassidy a 'Lunatic'
At the GOP lunch, Trump targeted Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana by name. Cassidy stood up and told Trump directly: "You have not told the American people what's going on... I am voting for war powers until I get a briefing," according to AP News. Trump reportedly called Cassidy a "lunatic" and told him repeatedly to "sit down."
Trump also posted on Truth Social that the Senate vote gave "aid and comfort to the enemy" and labeled GOP defectors "losers," according to TIME. Senator Lindsey Graham pushed back on the defectors, calling for a re-vote and arguing that "the president's concern about Iran being emboldened... is not unwarranted." Cassidy had already lost his primary earlier this year to a Trump-backed challenger.
The War Powers Fight: What the Senate Vote Actually Means
The standoff centers on the War Powers Resolution of 1973. That law lets Congress pass a "concurrent resolution" — one that does not need the president's signature — to direct the removal of U.S. forces. The Senate passed that resolution 50-48 on June 23, a reversal after a 47-48 failure just a week earlier on June 16, according to AP News.
The White House says the law is unconstitutional and that a ceasefire means "hostilities" are not legally ongoing, according to CBS News. But Senator Cassidy and other defectors argue the administration has never briefed Congress on a $300 billion reconstruction fund promised to Iran in the draft peace deal, The Washington Post reported. Charles Kupchan of the Council on Foreign Relations said there is "no way" a final deal gets done in Trump's 60-day negotiating window.
A $2.2 Trillion War That Republicans Fear Will Cost Them in November
The conflict that started February 28 as a "surgical" operation has now stretched four months. The Global Peace Index estimates a $2.2 trillion hit to the world economy. The Pentagon is requesting $80 billion to restock weapons — far above the initial $11 billion estimate for the war's first week — according to TIME.
Republicans fear that the infighting and the stalled housing bill will hurt them badly in November, according to AP News. Voters say affordability is their top concern. Speaker Mike Johnson is set to meet Trump at the White House on Thursday to try to salvage the housing bill. Analysts warn the public GOP rift may also give Iran leverage in the ongoing Swiss peace talks, potentially dragging the conflict into 2027.
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