Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) was met with outrage and hostility on Sunday over his unwavering support for the Iran war while hosting his third town hall of the year in his home district.
The event came one day after the United States failed to reach a more lasting peace deal with Iran to end the now six-week conflict.
Lawler’s constituents were angry over the congressman’s vote against the war powers resolution that would have allowed Congress to intervene in the war initiated by President Donald Trump. Lawler explained his reasoning for opposing the measure in a social media post last month.
“I voted NO on the Iran War Powers resolution because President Trump is within his authorities as commander in Chief to conduct Operation Epic Fury against the evil Iranian regime,” he said at the time. “This resolution failed, affirming the President’s ability to act here.”
Lawler reiterated his stance at the town hall on Sunday evening, calling the war powers vote in the House premature before the military conflict has reached 90 days. He argued that amount of time is necessary before Congress is allowed to step in and hold Trump accountable for waging a war without seeking congressional approval.
“The fact is the president is well within his authority to conduct the strikes that have been conducted,” the congressman said while the crowd was booing him. “If, at the end of these 90 days, the conflict is not done, then yes, Congress should take steps to authorize continuing force.”
He noted that Congress has not declared war since World War II, to which an audience member asked whether that was a good thing.
Lawler went on to argue that Iran has posed a threat in the Middle East for a long time, which is why he supports Trump’s goals to prevent the Islamic regime from developing nuclear weapons.
Attendees were boisterous and defiant throughout the town hall. At one point, a man called the Republican Party “morally bankrupt” as he was escorted out of the venue. Others wore shirts that read, “Democracy Dies on Lawler’s Watch.”
Although he supports the president on Iran, the 39-year-old House Republican touted his own defiant acts against the administration on certain issues, such as the extension of temporary protected status for Haitians and continued funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project.
Despite the hostility, Lawler thanked those who supported him and framed the roughly 90-minute event as a step closer toward winning a third term later this year. He represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, a highly competitive purple district that voted for then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.
“We’ve won three times in a district that was supposed to be unwinnable, and we’re going to win again,” the lawmaker posted on X. “This campaign is built on results, not rhetoric, and today showed exactly who we’re fighting for. Thank you to everyone who came out to show your support!”
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Very few lawmakers, and even fewer Republicans, held town halls over the two-week spring recess. Congress returns to session on Tuesday.
The Iran war is all but set to escalate further after the peace talks mediated by Pakistan on Saturday resulted in no resolution. Trump followed the peace talks with an announcement that the U.S. Navy would block the Strait of Hormuz, which was already blocked by Tehran. The blockade is set to go into effect at 10 a.m. Monday, amid the two-week ceasefire.