As the Iran war drags on and energy prices remain elevated, some Republicans fear their party looks disconnected from ordinary voters and beholden to fringe voices, according to a new report.
The GOP’s upcoming legislative agenda may do little to improve optics as it remains centered on voting and immigration — and not everyday economic concerns.
“I don’t think they have to worry about being seen as out of touch because they’re acting out of touch. They’re doing it to themselves,” a national Republican operative told NOTUS.
After a weeks-long recess, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill this week to face a precarious landscape at home and abroad. After President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out Iran’s entire “civilization”, his negotiators reached a ceasefire with Iran last Tuesday but peace talks have since stalled and there’s deep concerns that hostilities could resume.
As a result of the conflict, oil prices have skyrocketed to $100 a barrel, pushing average gas prices above $4 a gallon — largely due to Iran’s de facto blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. After talks broke down this weekend, Trump announced that the U.S. will impose its own blockade on the crucial waterway, prompting taunts from the Iranian regime.
“Enjoy the current pump figures,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, wrote on X Sunday. “With the so-called 'blockade', Soon you'll be nostalgic for $4–$5 gas.”
The developments are putting Republicans in a difficult position as the midterm elections loom with some complaining they’re being given scant information about the war.
“We’re getting into the short game, and we need details if they have any prayer of getting funding,” an unnamed Senate Republican told NOTUS, referring to a $98 billion funding request the administration is expected to send Congress.
“Unless this is one of the most sophisticated strategies that plan all of these fits and starts as part of some sort of deception campaign, it looks like there’s not a coherent one coming out of the White House — and there needs to be,” the lawmaker added.
The lawmaker also highlighted how Trump's social media posts have sparked unease among GOP lawmakers. “There’s definitely a lot of ‘what the f***?’ moments,” the senator said.
The White House pushed back against GOP criticism.
“What matters most to the American people is having a Commander-in-Chief who takes decisive action to eliminate threats and keep them safe, which is exactly what President Trump did with the successful Operation Epic Fury,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told The Independent. “President Trump campaigned proudly on his promise to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop a nuclear weapon, which is what this noble operation accomplishes. The President does not make these incredibly important national security decisions based on fluid opinion polls, but on the best interest of the American people.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has also expressed concern about gas prices, though he said the current spike differs from those during former President Joe Biden’s term, which Republicans used to attack Democrats.
“I think it is a very different thing,” Thune told NOTUS, contending that the current increases stem from “America’s vital national security interests.” But, he said, “the impact or the effect is the same. People are feeling it. … That is an issue on which I think people do vote.”
The vast majority of Americans, 69 percent, are concerned about elevated gas and fuel prices as a result of the Iran war, according to a Pew Research Center survey April 7. And multiple polls show that a majority of Americans oppose the conflict.
Despite concerns about the war and its knock-on effects, the GOP’s near-term legislative focus lies elsewhere.
Amid the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Republicans are focused on a reconciliation bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. They’re simultaneously pushing to advance the SAVE America Act, a GOP-led bill aimed at tightening federal voter registration rules to ensure only U.S. citizens can vote.
Such an approach leaves the party vulnerable to perceptions of misplaced priorities. The Republican operative told NOTUS that the GOP “should easily win” on pocketbook issues.
“But if all we’re doing is doing things to appeal to our loony folks and [Speaker Mike] Johnson keeps caving over and over again to the small, ineffective Freedom Caucus folks instead of just doing the things that have to be done for the majority — like this is how we get here, right?” they said.
In a late March CNN poll, 67 percent of respondents said that Trump hasn’t paid enough attention to America’s most pressing problems. Some 40 percent said the economy, jobs and the cost of living constitute the biggest issue. A much smaller share named foreign policy, while just five percent pointed to voting and elections.
Yet some Republican lawmakers remain steadfastly aligned with Trump, insisting his actions safeguard national security and brushing off concerns about a midterm backlash.
“Do you think this war that we’re in, and this fight over ICE, is hurting reelection chances for Republicans in the fall?” Fox News’ Bret Baier asked Senator Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, over the weekend.
“I think President Trump is stopping a homicidal maniac regime from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and if you don’t treat them that way, you’ve missed a lot in the last 47 years,” Graham replied.
Congress may still intervene directly on the Iran conflict this week — but only as a result of Democrats, who aim to force a vote on a war powers resolution that would limit Trump's authority in the Middle East.
“This war has made us worse off today than when it started,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who announced plans to bring a vote on the resolution, said. “It’s just incredible. This is one of the very worst military and foreign policy actions that the United States has ever taken.”
Editor's Note: This article was updated April 13 to include a White House response
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