In Congress, GOP leaders support Trump strikes on Iran but Democrats seek vote

WASHINGTON – Congress divided largely along party lines in its reaction to the U.S. military strikes on Iran, with Republicans supporting President Donald Trump and Democrats calling it “a war of choice” that should have required approval by lawmakers under the Constitution.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, said “Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions.” He said Trump “made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions” to prevent Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapon, but that the adversary has armed and funded terror groups including Hamas and Hezbollah instead.

But House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, said Democrats intend to force a House vote next week on whether to authorize the use of military force.

“The Trump administration must explain itself to the American people and Congress immediately, provide an ironclad justification for this act of war, clearly define the national security objective and articulate a plan to avoid another costly, prolonged military quagmire in the Middle East,” Jeffries said in a statement.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the leaders of the House and Senate and the leaders of the intelligence committees in both chambers during the week. But Trump didn’t ask Congress for permission to begin what he called "major combat operations" in Iran.

The Constitution states that Congress shall have the power “to declare war.” But presidents have argued they may take military action to protect the American people and military. Congress approved the War Powers Act in 1973 restricting presidents to notify lawmakers within 48 hours of deploying troops and mandating their removal within 60 to 90 days unless Congress declares war or authorizes an extension.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, said he would join again with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, to force a vote on the War Powers Act.

“I am opposed to this War,” Massie said on social media. “This is not ‘America First.’”

Another House Republican, Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, said on social media Feb. 26 that “War requires Congressional authorization” and that “no case has been made.” But he hasn’t commented publicly since the military action began.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, said the Constitution grants Congress the power to initiate war “to make war less likely” and said he would oppose Trump’s “preemptive war” in the Middle East.

James Madison, a major author of the Constitution and the fourth president, wrote that “the Executive Branch is the branch most prone to war, therefore, the Constitution, with studied care, delegated the war power to the legislature,” Paul said on social media.

“As with all war, my first and purest instinct is wish Americans soldiers safety and success in their mission,” Paul added. “But my oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”

In another partisan split, Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has often voiced positions against his party’s leadership, supported the attack.

“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” Fetterman said on social media.

The divisions among House and Senate leaders, and members of the intelligence committees, were more stark.

Iran 'posed a clear and unacceptable threat': Thune

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, commended Trump’s actions in Iran in a social media post, saying for too long the country has “posed a clear and unacceptable threat to U.S. servicemembers, citizens in the region, and many of our allies.”

The leader of the Senate committee, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said on social media that “the butcher’s bill has finally come due for the ayatollahs.”

“A nuclear-weapons program. Thousands of missiles. State sponsorship of terror. Iran has waged war against the U.S. for 47 years: the hostage crisis, the Beirut Marine barracks, Khobar Towers, roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan that killed or maimed thousands of American soldiers, the attempted assassination of President Trump,” Cotton said.

Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Arkansas, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, said Trump’s goal from negotiations with Iran were clear: to stop the country from developing a nuclear weapon.

"Iran absolutely cannot be allowed to maintain a nuclear weapon or capabilities. The safety and security of Americans and our allies are on the line,” Crawford said in a statement. “Furthermore, President Trump has given Iran plenty of opportunities to take the diplomatic route.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, the former majority leader who has opposed Trump on other foreign-policy issues such as tariffs and supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia, said Iran “deserves no sympathy” after wielding violence at home and terrorism abroad.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran made ‘death to America; death to Israel’ a central pillar of its brutal rule,” McConnell said on social media. “A regime that relishes killing Arabs, Israelis, Americans, and its own people deserves no sympathy.”

Democrats demand vote on whether to authorize military force

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Trump needs to provide more information about the justification and goals of the military strikes. He demanded a classified briefing for all senators and a vote on the war powers.

“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat,” Schumer said on social media. “Confronting Iran’s malign regional activities, nuclear ambitions, and harsh oppression of the Iranian people demands American strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity. Unfortunately, President Trump’s fitful cycles of lashing out and risking wider conflict are not a viable strategy.”

The top Democrat on the panel, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, asked how the attack would make America safer.

Warner said Trump conducted expansive U.S. strikes beyond nuclear or missile infrastructure and including senior Iranian leadership. Warner said the president needs to offer “a clear legal justification, a defined end state, and a plan that avoids dragging the United States into yet another costly and unnecessary war.

Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, blasted Trump for thrusting the U.S. into a "major war with Iran." 

“Against the clear wishes of the American people, President Trump has thrust our nation into a major war with Iran − one he never made a case for, never sought congressional authority for, and for which he has no endgame," Reed said in a statement. "President Trump has chosen the path of war while diplomacy was still within reach.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, called Trump’s military strikes on Iran with “right-wing extremist Israeli ally Benjamin Netanyahu” and “illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional war.”

Sanders said the American people were lied to about Vietnam and Iraq, and are being lied to again about Iran.

“Tragically, Trump is gambling with American lives and treasure to fulfill Netanyahu’s decades-long ambition of dragging the United States into armed conflict with Iran,” Sanders said on social media. “Further, this attack against Iran is a clear violation of international law and will create increased instability in an already dangerous world.”

Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called the attack “a war of choice with no strategic endgame.”

He warned that “conflict with Iran can easily spiral and escalate in ways we cannot anticipate.”