US Strikes on Iran Lead to New Demands for War Powers Legislation | Donald Trump news

Democratic lawmakers have largely condemned the strikes on Iran, citing the lack of congressional approval.

Democratic lawmakers condemned the US attack on Iran as a “dangerous” and “unnecessary” escalation and called on the Senate to immediately vote on legislation that would block the president’s ability to take further military action without congressional approval.

Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees and the primary author of the war powers resolution, called President Donald Trump’s order to attack Iran a “colossal mistake.”

“The Senate must immediately return to session and vote on my war powers resolution to prevent the use of US forces in war against Iran,” Kaine said in a statement Saturday. “Every senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary and foolish action.”

House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed Kaine, saying House Democrats are committed to forcing a floor vote on a measure to limit Trump’s war powers on Iran.

“Donald Trump failed to obtain congressional authority before striking Iran. Instead, the president’s decision to abandon diplomacy and launch a massive military strike left American forces vulnerable to Iranian retaliatory actions,” he said in a statement. “The Trump administration must immediately explain itself to the American people and Congress.”

Pressure for legislative scrutiny of Trump’s executive powers has gained significant bipartisan momentum in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slim majority.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Saturday demanded that Congress be immediately informed of the Iran attack, criticizing the administration for not providing details on the scope and immediacy of the threat, including in a classified session and public testimony of all senators.

“The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat,” he said in a statement.

Senator Mark Warner, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, described the strikes in a statement posted on X as “a decision of profound consequence that risks dragging the United States into another broader conflict in the Middle East”.

He questioned the urgency and intelligence behind the attack, warning of repeating “past mistakes” like the Iraq war.

“The American people have seen this playbook first hand — claims of urgency, misrepresented intelligence and military action that drag the United States into regime change and protracted, costly nation-building,” he said.

Not just Democrats

While the effort to curb executive military power is being driven by a largely Democratic caucus, Republican lawmakers’ growing reluctance to join the effort has signaled a rare break from the White House.

Republican Representative Thomas Massey, one of the most outspoken critics, described the strikes as “unauthorized acts of war by Congress.”

“I oppose this war. It is not America First,” he wrote in X.

In the Senate, Republican Senator Rand Paul also sponsored a war authorization resolution, saying his opposition to the war was based on constitutional principles.

“My oath of office is to the Constitution, so with due diligence, I must oppose another presidential war,” he said at X.