📝 The Readback: The Hill reacts to the Israel-Iran conflict

IN THIS EDITION

How Congress reacted to the Israel-Iran conflict

Why Punchbowl News is investing in video

Create a new financial system with one weird trick

Georgia GOP waits on Trump

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How Congress reacted to the Israel-Iran conflict

Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring the best of Punchbowl News this week – a quick roundup of all our scoops, analysis and Capitol Hill insight you won’t find anywhere else. We’ve also included a few of our favorite outside reads from the week.

Eyes on the Middle East: As Iran and Israel traded missile strikes in the Middle East, an interesting array of foreign policy stances was on full display in the Senate.

The Republican Party of President Donald Trump is more inclined toward isolationism than ever before. Remember, Trump campaigned in 2024 on ending forever wars and empowering non-traditional voices within the Department of Defense.

The current Democratic Party is also growing more skeptical of Israel, evidenced by increasing numbers of senators who voted to restrict arm sales to Israel in recent months and escalating disapproval of the war in Gaza.

Given these trends, it was perhaps unsurprising that the legislative response from senators leaned toward staying out of the conflict.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) filed a War Powers Resolution, which requires a Senate vote on whether the United States “engages in hostilities” against Iran. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) also introduced legislation aimed at stopping potential U.S. involvement with the Israel-Iran war.

Here’s what Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said to us:

Reed was sharply critical of the Israeli strikes, labeling the military operation a “reckless escalation.”

On the Republican side, there was similar skepticism about American troops getting dragged into the conflict. Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) perhaps best summed up the situation when he reiterated that he stood by Israel “100%” but added that, “we’re not looking for another war in the Middle East.”

Then there was the wild interview between Tucker Carlson and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). Carlson, who has diverged from the GOP establishment on foreign policy, sparred with Cruz on whether or not to support Israel. The clips went viral and exemplified how many on the right are skeptical of reflexively backing Israel.

To be clear, Trump disparaged Carlson this week by calling the influential conservative commentator “kooky.” But the divergence among the Republican Party on foreign policy, which had been clear in the Ukraine-Russia conflict, is seeping into support for Israel as well.

The majority of Republicans still support Israel, although it’s not hard to imagine a post-Trump world where the nation’s critics are increasingly emboldened within the GOP.

What I’m watching: “El Eternauta,” a gripping Argentinian dystopian series on Netflix. The scenes of post-apocalyptic Buenos Aires are as haunting as they are captivating.

– Max Cohen

You can find The Readback in your inbox every Saturday at 8 a.m. And don’t hesitate to reach out to [email protected] with feedback. Enjoy The Readback.

Why Punchbowl News is investing in video

– Jake Sherman

Create a new financial system with one weird trick

The Senate passed a major crypto bill this week. Getting to watch it happen from start to finish was a bit surreal for this financial services reporter.

The GENIUS Act is the first piece of crypto legislation ever passed by the Senate, and it’s got an awful good shot at becoming law. The idea is to regulate stablecoins.

Let’s zoom out just a bit. There hasn’t been a real path for major financial legislation to become law since I started on the beat in 2018, when lawmakers advanced a deregulatory package easing some provisions from the Dodd-Frank Act.

That’s not a very good comparison either! It’s been very long since Congress blessed a new financial product like stablecoins. I surveyed some academics, who all agreed it’s been decades since lawmakers did anything comparable to the GENIUS Act.

I couldn’t ask for a better education in how the Senate works than the process around the GENIUS Act. It had everything: Markup drama! A brief Democratic revolt! White House scandals! A credit card lobbying bonanza until Majority Leader John Thune slammed the open amendment process shut!

We’ve got a ways to go yet. President Donald Trump is pressing the House to hold a vote on the GENIUS Act as soon as possible. But House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) is keeping his plans quiet for now.

What I’m reading: I finished the “Three Body Problem” by Liu Cixin this week. I don’t regret reading it, but I can’t say I loved it either.

The beginning is engrossing, tracing the arc of Chinese scientists trying to survive the turbulent years following the country’s Cultural Revolution. There’s some good Science Stuff throughout – my term for when an author uses high concept science to advance plot – but the end felt a bit half-baked and hand-wavy. I’m open to arguments if the rest of the trilogy is worth reading! Make your case.

– Brendan Pedersen

Georgia GOP waits on Trump

Georgia Republicans are in a holding pattern after losing their star recruit to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) in a critical Senate race next year.

This week, I wrote about the GOP’s dilemma in finding a consensus candidate who can defeat Ossoff in what was once seen as the best pickup opportunity for the party in 2026.

However, conversations with more than half a dozen members of the Peach State delegation prompted some concern after the state’s Republican Gov. Brian Kemp bowed out of running.

Many members said they’re not waiting on President Donald Trump to tap his pick. In any case, between a worrying conflict in the Middle East, trying to pass his legislative agenda on Capitol Hill and a host of other domestic and international issues to deal with, Trump has his hands full at the moment.

The last time there was any public word of Trump’s interest in this race was May 10. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported a meeting between Kemp and Trump to discuss the primary.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) said it’s likely no one is going to endorse a candidate until Trump and Kemp get behind someone.

“If President Trump and Brian Kemp jointly settled on one candidate, that probably clears the field,” Scott said. “But Georgia is a Republican state. It is our race to lose.”

Currently, the GOP Senate primary hinges on leading candidates Rep. Buddy Carter and state insurance commissioner John King. But neither have seemed to garner much excitement.

There are also still several other members who said they’re trying to decide whether to get in the race too.

GOP Reps. Mike Collins, a close Trump ally, and Rich McCormick could run if Trump saw them as viable options.

Carter, who is calling himself a “MAGA Warrior,” said it’s too early for endorsements.

He added that he’s talked to Trump since he announced last month and his team remains in consistent conversations with the president’s staff.

Democrats, meanwhile, see Kemp’s decision not to run as a small sigh of relief in their chances of holding on to the seat.

Ossoff is also an impressive fundraiser, bringing in more than $11 million in the first quarter for his reelection.

What I’m watching: I’m watching “Tires” on Netflix.

– Mica Soellner