May 1 was the deadline under a 1973 law for President Donald Trump to get a consent from Congress for his war against Iran. But it’s come and gone without Trump asking for it — or with most congressional Republicans demanding it.

Ohio Republican U.S. Sens. Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno have voted to block such resolutions, but they have both repeatedly ignored requests to explain their thinking.

The war is costing Americans more than $1 billion a day and has driven gas prices over $4.78 a gallon in Ohio, and is expected to drive grocery prices significantly higher than they are now. 

At the same time, it hasn’t achieved regime change or forced Iran to abandon its nuclear program — two of Trump’s shifting goals.

Meanwhile, with access to the Strait of Hormuz severely restricted, the United States and much of the rest of the world are worse off than before the United States and Israel started dropping bombs on Feb. 28.

The war is historically unpopular. For example, a PBS News/NPR/Marist poll released last week said that just 33% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of it.

Most Democrats in Congress — and a few Republicans — have repeatedly tried to force a vote on whether to support the war under the 1973 War Powers Resolution. 

It was passed after years of U.S. involvement in an undeclared war during which presidents often lied about how well it was going. It was an attempt by Congress to reassert its constitutional power to decide whether the nation goes to war.

“The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in hostilities or have been removed from such situations,” it said.

However, the current war goes on, with Trump claiming a ceasefire even as the sides launch attacks on one another. And the president continues to hint that a deal with Iran is near — after weeks of such promises and apocalyptic threats have failed to produce a resolution.

The 60-day deadline for congressional approval under the War Powers Resolution passed at the start of the month.

The law says that after that time “the President shall terminate any use of United States Armed Forces… unless the Congress (1) has declared war or has enacted a specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces, (2) has extended by law such sixty-day period, or (3) is physically unable to meet as a result of an armed attack upon the United States.”

Despite that, Husted and Moreno voted four times to block a war-powers vote by mid-April. On April 30, on the eve of the legal deadline, they voted that way again.

Neither senator’s office responded when asked why he supported the war, and to explain what about it justified forcing Ohioans to pay so much for gas. 

Former Ohio Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, who is running against Husted in a November special election, said it was in Ohioans’ interest to end the war now.

“Ohioans are struggling to make ends meet, yet Jon Husted is choosing to send tens-of-billions of dollars overseas rather than using them to help hard working families here at home,” Brown said in an email.

“Too many American service members, including three Ohio soldiers, have lost their lives. Gas and diesel prices are soaring. It is past time to put an end to this conflict and focus on helping people here in Ohio instead of supporting a war that is making their lives harder.”