Voters grill Republican lawmaker in crucial swing district on Iran war [View all]

Source: Washington Post

April 13, 2026 at 12:28 a.m. EDT


MAHOPAC, N.Y. — Rep. Mike Lawler faced another tough crowd at a town hall late Sunday night, as frustrated constituents in his suburban swing district demanded he answer for the war in Iran. One man asked the GOP congressman why he voted against a measure that would have checked President Donald Trump’s power to commit the country to the Iran conflict without congressional approval.

“The fact is the president is well within his authority to conduct the strikes that have been conducted,” Lawler responded over boos, comparing the conflict to strikes on Libya during the Obama administration in 2011. “If, at the end of these 90 days, the conflict is not done, then yes, Congress should take steps to authorize continuing force,” he said, adding that it would be “idiotic” for lawmakers to order a withdrawal as the administration pursues peace talks with Iran.

The next question came from Marion Walsh, who identified herself as both a military mother and daughter. “Respectfully, you have abdicated your responsibility to the majority of the constituents in District 17,” she said. “You have in fact endangered our young people, our service members of our country and killed civilians by not standing up to Trump on this unjustified war.”. Lawler said the goal of the war is to “dismantle the unholy alliance” between China, Russia and other U.S. adversaries.

He added that he has delivered for the district and pulled out sheets of paper that he said included “all the things I’ve actually done to push back on the administration on issues that I disagree with,” from fighting to extend temporary protected status for Haitians to pushing for an expanded property tax deduction known as SALT. “Blah, blah, blah,” responded one of the more than 150 people assembled in the high school auditorium, which appeared almost evenly split between those frustrated with Lawler and those who supported him.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/04/13/iran-war-elections-republicans-mike-lawler/