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Democrats win midterms, and their Senate leader says they will end Iran war

Chuck Schumer points to the power of the purse, and Trump says he will use his veto against any "insane" Democratic policies.

7 news outlets reported this
Liberal2 outletsDemocrats' blue wave and limits on ending warCenter5 outletsHow Congress could actually force an endConservative0 outletslittle coverage
Published 3 min readMoney and daily life
Overview

Democrats won the US midterm elections held on Tuesday. Al Jazeera reports they took both the Senate and the House of Representatives, with 54 of 100 Senate seats and 242 House seats, and some races still to be declared. Reason, citing the AP as of early Wednesday morning, says Democrats have at least a seven-seat House majority, expected to grow.

Al Jazeera says the vote was largely viewed as a referendum on Trump's policies, "particularly his decision to start a war with Iran" in February. Reason cites exit polling in which 62 percent of voters consider the war a mistake. On Wednesday, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, "We are going to end the war," and pointed to Congress's power of the purse.

The Hill reports that Schumer said Republican backing in the Senate for ending the war "as soon as possible" will come. It adds that he threatened to withhold money from the Defense Department through the "power of the purse" if necessary. Trump said the war raised gasoline prices "a little bit short term" but that he would do it again.

He promised to use his veto against any "insane" Democratic policies. Overriding a veto takes two-thirds of both houses, which Democrats do not have.

The new Congress takes office in January.

Key figures
  • 54 seats Democrats' Senate seats, to Republicans' 44, with two more to be declared, per Al Jazeera — Al Jazeera English
  • 242 seats Democrats' House seats, to Republicans' 151, per Al Jazeera — Al Jazeera English
  • at least a seven-seat House majority Democrats' House margin, per AP as of early Wednesday morning, cited by Reason — Reason
  • 62 percent voters who consider the war a mistake, in exit polling cited by Reason — Reason
  • $47bn estimated cost of the war to US taxpayers so far, per Al Jazeera — Al Jazeera English

Three sides of the story

Liberal2 outlets

Democrats' blue wave and limits on ending war

Al Jazeera opens with a "blue wave" that swept Democrats to victory and asks what the result means for Iran, Gaza and Ukraine from January. It says the midterms were largely viewed as a referendum on Trump's policies, "particularly his decision to start a war with Iran," and cites fuel prices raised by the closure of the , an estimated $47bn cost to taxpayers and a Reuters/Ipsos poll showing 32 percent approval of Trump's policies. It quotes Trump saying he would do it again and Schumer saying, "We are going to end the war."

It then lays out limits: research fellow James Boys calls restricting funds with troops in the field "highly problematic," and earlier uses of the 1973 War Powers Resolution were, in its words, "defeated or rendered ineffective." NPR's piece has Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand saying Democrats must end the war and hold Trump accountable, and it asks how they will deliver on that and on lowering costs.

Center5 outlets

How Congress could actually force an end

Reason's "How Democrats Can Stop the Iran War Now" sets the 2026 midterms beside the 2006 ones, held during the Iraq war. It says Trump can veto or ignore war powers resolutions and calls the military budget Congress's "only direct leverage." It describes investigations and subpoenas as a weaker tool.

It cites the AP's early count of at least a seven-seat House majority and exit polling in which 62 percent call the war a mistake. The Hill's headline has Schumer saying Republicans favor ending the war immediately. Its text has him saying Senate Republican support will come for ending it "as soon as possible," and that he threatened to use the "power of the purse" to deprive the Defense Department of money if necessary.

The BBC's Asma Khalid examines whether the House and Senate could end the conflict, which has run for months since February. The Journal says elections in the US and Israel "scrambled the political calculus in both countries" while Qatar makes a fresh push to mediate.

Conservative0 outlets

Outlets on the right gave the story little coverage.

Money and daily life

Al Jazeera says fuel prices rose sharply after the Strait of Hormuz was closed, and it puts the war's cost to US taxpayers at an estimated $47bn so far. Trump said the war pushed gasoline prices up "a little bit short term." Reason reports that US naval escorts for oil tankers cost $2 billion to $3 billion per month.

All sources: 7 articles from 7 outlets

Liberal (2)

Center (5)

Related
Strait of Hormuz

The narrow sea passage between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula through which tankers leave the Persian Gulf. About a fifth of the world's oil normally passes through it, so any threat there moves fuel prices worldwide.

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Wall Street

A street in New York where the stock exchange stands. In the news it means US financial markets and the big banks and investment firms as a whole.

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