President Donald Trump faced heated criticism from within his own party on Wednesday over the Iran war, as a closed-door Senate Republican meeting reportedly turned tense shortly before his administration asked Congress for tens of billions of dollars to pay for the conflict.
Cassidy Presses Trump Over Iran Deal
Several Republicans said Trump got into a shouting match with Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who questioned a framework deal Trump signed last week that offers financial incentives to Iran but has not delivered the goals Trump outlined when the war began, Reuters reported.
“The American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy told reporters. “It does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told.”
The confrontation came one day after the Senate voted to direct Trump to end the war in a symbolic rebuke. Cassidy was one of four Republicans who joined Democrats in backing the measure, which passed 50-48.
Trump Dismisses Senate Vote As Meaningless
Trump did not mention the clash with Cassidy after the meeting. But he criticized the Senate vote while speaking to reporters at the White House.
“Iran sees that, they go ‘what’s that all about.’ Now you know, it’s meaningless, right?” Trump said. Several hours later, the administration asked Congress for $70 billion to cover the war, on top of the $867 billion U.S. military budget.
Cassidy has become a more vocal Trump critic since losing his primary last month to a Trump-backed challenger, according to The Hill. Trump had targeted Cassidy since 2021, when he voted to convict Trump over the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. Cassidy had mostly supported Trump’s nominees and agenda since then, but that changed after his May 16 defeat.
Since then, Cassidy has sided with Democrats on several issues and criticized Trump administration moves, including ballroom funding, the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund and Trump’s appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence.
Republicans Show New Frustration Over Iran
Cassidy is not alone. Other GOP senators have grown more willing to challenge Trump. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who has criticized Trump’s Iran deal, described the meeting as a “spirited conversation.” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said senators talked “a lot about Iran” and the need to “finish and achieve our objectives.”
The Iran framework, which helped reopen the Strait of Hormuz, has drawn criticism at home and in the Middle East. Disputes remain over financial incentives for Tehran, nuclear inspections, control of the strait and Israel’s war in Lebanon. The deal sets up 60 days of talks over harder issues, including Iran’s nuclear program, a process Trump has threatened to abandon if Tehran violates the agreement.
Image via Shutterstock/ Joey Sussman
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