WASHINGTON – Most congressional Republicans on Saturday hailed the coordinated US and Israeli attack on Iran, arguing that war is President Donald Trump’s last resort to curb the Middle Eastern nation’s nuclear ambitions after months of failed diplomatic efforts.
But Rep. Kentucky Republicans. Thomas Massey and Sen. Democrats, including Rand Paul, expressed frustration that Trump had conducted the strikes without obtaining congressional authorization. Some vowed to push for a war powers vote in the House next week that would restrict Trump’s ability to carry out further strikes on Iran.
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Before the overnight attack, Rep. Massey, who co-authored the war powers resolution with Roe Khanna, D-Calif., called the strikes “acts of war unauthorized by Congress.”
“I oppose this war. It is not ‘America First.’ When Congress reconvenes, I will work with @RepRoKhanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran,” Massie wrote on X. “The Constitution requires a vote, and your representative needs a record of opposing or supporting this war.”
Sen. Andy Kim, DN.J., said next week would not be enough for Congress to respond to what he called “a terrible action by this president.” Kim told NBC News’ Kristen Welker, “Congress needs to reconvene as soon as possible this weekend and be able to vote on a war powers resolution to show that this is not what the American people want.”
In a lengthy statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, DNY., questioned why Trump felt the need to launch new military strikes against Iran when the president had previously announced that his June 2025 strikes would “totally and completely wipe out” Iran’s nuclear program.
He said Democrats will push for a vote on the Massey-Khanna resolution when he returns to Washington.
“Iran is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights abuses, nuclear ambitions, support for terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies in the region, Israel and Jordan,” Jeffries said. “However, absent those circumstances, the Trump administration must seek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.”
Given small Republican majorities in both the House and Senate, the vote could be close. Unlike most legislation, the war powers resolution to limit Trump’s actions in Iran needs only 51 votes in the Senate, where Republicans control 53 seats.
However, just like Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza and the West Bank, Trump’s new round of attacks on Iran is not a black-and-white issue on Capitol Hill.
Some MAGA Republicans, who have railed against US involvement in the Middle East and Afghanistan, are wary of Trump’s shift toward military intervention.
Asked at X if he supports Trump’s military strikes on Iran, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, replied: “No. Congressional authorization is required for war.”
Davidson said he wanted a briefing outlining the U.S. mission in Iran. He said that if he was not satisfied, he would vote for the Massey-Khanna resolution.
Paul, a libertarian-leaning non-interventionist who frequently clashes with Trump, said at X that he does not support the strikes.
“The Constitution has given Congress the power to declare or commence war for one cause, to reduce war. … As in all war, my first and purest instinct is that Americans desire the safety of their soldiers and the success of their operations,” he wrote. “But my oath of office is to the Constitution, so with due diligence, I must oppose another presidential battle.”
Across the aisle, moderate Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., co-chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, praised Trump’s actions, though he added that the president needs to come to Congress to seek military authorization under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
“I agree with the president’s intentions that Iran will never be allowed to acquire nuclear capabilities. The president must now clearly define the national security objective and articulate his plan to avoid another costly, protracted war in the Middle East,” Suozzi said at X.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., a staunch Israel supporter, is expected to join Republicans in voting against the war authorization resolution.
“President Trump is prepared to do what is right and necessary to bring about real peace in the region,” Fetterman said at X. “God bless the United States, our great military and Israel.”
Before the administration launched what it called “Operation Epic Fury,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio called in a “Gang of Eight” congressional leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., their Democratic counterparts and Caro, according to Levy, the top White House press secretary.
One member of the Gang of Eight was said to be unreachable.
According to a White House official and a State Department official, Rubio briefed the Gang of Eight on Tuesday about the administration’s approach to Iran for an hour before Trump’s State of the Union address.
Separately, after the overnight strikes began, the Defense Department notified the House and Senate Armed Services Committees early Saturday, those sources said.
Thune said he supports Trump’s move and that administration officials will brief all senators on the Iran strikes. “Despite the efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused diplomatic off-ramps that would peacefully resolve these national security concerns,” Thune said in a statement Saturday. “I commend President Trump for taking action to stop these threats.”
As such, Johnson defended Trump’s actions and confirmed that he was up to speed on the strikes throughout the week. He said he plans to stay in close contact with Trump.
“Today, Iran faces the severe consequences of its evil actions. President Trump and the administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime’s continued nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism and killing of Americans,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Iran and its proxies have threatened America and American lives, undermined our core national interests, systematically destabilized the Middle East, and threatened the security of the entire West,” the speaker added.
