Members of Congress are weighing in on the U.S. attack on Iran, and Republicans and Democrats are significantly at odds.
Republicans largely praised President Donald Trump for what they said was a critical operation targeting a country that had long threatened the United States and its allies. Many circumvented the issue of whether the president needed authorization from Congress to carry out an extended military operation.
Democrats warned that Trump was dragging the country into another protracted war in the Middle East and needlessly endangering U.S. troops. Democrats and a small bloc of Republicans in the House and Senate had planned to force a vote this coming week on whether to restrain Trump from waging war in Iran without congressional approval.
Here’s how members are responding:
— Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Trump had exhausted “peaceful and diplomatic solutions” to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and now Iran was “facing the severe consequences of its evil actions.” He said that the Gang of Eight — the House and Senate leaders from both parties — were told this past week that military action in Iran was a possibility “to protect American troops and American citizens in Iran.” He said that Iran and its proxies have “menaced America and American lives,” undermined U.S. interests and “threatened the security of the entire West.”
— Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., the majority leader, praised Trump for taking action, saying that Iran had “posed a clear and unacceptable threat” to the United States and its allies for years and had “refused the diplomatic off-ramps.” He said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had provided updates on the operation over the past week and that the administration would brief members of Congress on the attacks.
— Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the House minority leader, said in a statement that Iran was a “bad actor” that must be “aggressively confronted” for its human rights violations and nuclear ambitions, among other things. But he condemned Tump for failing to seek congressional approval for the strikes. The Trump administration, he wrote, must explain its rationale and justification for the strikes, define the national security objective and “articulate a plan to avoid another costly, prolonged military quagmire in the Middle East.”
— Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, supported the strikes, saying on social media that Iran sought to develop its nuclear capabilities, sponsored terror groups and waged war against the United States for 47 years. “The butcher’s bill has finally come due for the ayatollahs,” he wrote. “May God bless and protect our troops on this vital mission of vengeance, and justice, and safety.”
— Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, questioned the constitutionality of the strikes. “The Constitution is clear,” he wrote. “The decision to take this nation to war rests with Congress, and launching large-scale military operations — particularly in the absence of an imminent threat to the United States — raises serious legal and constitutional concerns.”
— Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who had planned to force a vote this coming week to curb Trump’s ability to strike Iran, called the strikes a “colossal mistake.” He said the Senate should “immediately return to session” and vote on his resolution. “Every single senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action,” he said in a statement.
— Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., an ardent opponent of spending U.S. taxpayer money on overseas military conflicts, described the strikes on social media as “acts of war unauthorized by Congress.”
— Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, praised Trump in a statement for taking “decisive action” against Iran, calling the strikes “a pivotal and necessary operation to protect Americans and American interests.” He defended the president, saying the goals of the attacks were clear. He did not say whether Trump should seek congressional authorization to continue striking Iran.
— Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, said Trump had “thrust our nation into a major war with Iran” without seeking congressional authorization. He warned that Iran was “weakened, but far from incapable,” and could launch counterstrikes and cyberattacks. “Our forces and our allies must be fully prepared for a sustained and dangerous campaign,” he added.
— Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a sponsor of the bipartisan war powers resolution, urged lawmakers in a video and a written statement to convene Monday to vote on the measure. “Trump has launched an illegal regime-change war in Iran with American lives at risk,” he said. “Every member of Congress should go on record this weekend on how they will vote.”
— Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of the president who for years has favored intervention in Iran, said on social media that the operation “will be violent, extensive and I believe, at the end of the day, successful.” He repeated the president’s call to the Iranian people to overthrow their government, and addressed members of the U.S. and Israeli militaries, writing that “if you are injured or fall, I believe with all my heart that your sacrifice makes your country and the world a better and safer place.”
— Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has broken with his party on issues involving Israel, came out in favor of the attacks Saturday. “President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” he wrote on social media.
— Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who is in a heated primary race, said that the president’s decision to strike Iran “presumably was based upon a clear and present danger to the United States,” and called the attack “a planned execution that does not put the United States in a forever war.”
— Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., a former Marine who deployed to Iraq, condemned the attacks, saying on social media that the United States could support the Iranian people and the democratic movement in the country “without sending our troops to die.” He said Americans should not have to pay “the ultimate price” for “a war that hasn’t been explained or justified to the American people.”
— Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., one of the few members who sits on both the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, said the president was “setting us up for another endless war” and endangering U.S. troops. “Trump sold the American people a false bill of goods by promising to start no new wars, and then he turned around and started a regime change war in Iran,” said Jacobs, whose district in the San Diego area is home to thousands of Navy service members.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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