Both the House and Senate, where the president's Republican Party has a slim majority, had already drafted such resolutions long before the strikes Saturday. Now they are ready to plunge into a rare war powers debate next week that will serve as a referendum on Trump's decision to go it alone on military action without formal authorization from Congress.
“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East?” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a leader in the bipartisan effort. He said the strikes on Iran were “a colossal mistake.”
In the House, Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are demanding Congress go on record with a public vote on their own bipartisan measure. “Congress must convene on Monday to vote,” Khanna said, “to stop this.”
Massie blasted Trump's own presidential campaign slogan and said: “This is not ‘America First.’”
But most Republicans, particularly their leaders, welcomed Trump's move against Iran. Many cited the longtime U.S. adversary's nuclear programs and missile capabilities as requiring a military response.
“Well done, Mr. President,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “As I watch and monitor this historic operation, I’m in awe of President Trump’s determination to be a man of peace but at the end of the day, evil’s worst nightmare.”
War powers debate tests Congress
The administration’s decision to launch, with Israel, what appears to be an open-ended joint military operation aimed at changing the government in Tehran is testing the Constitution's separation of powers in deep and dramatic ways. Nearly two months earlier, Trump ordered U.S. strikes that toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
While presidents have the authority as the commander in chief to conduct certain strategic military operations on their own, the Constitution vests Congress with the power to wage war. Before the Iraq War began in March 2003, Republican President George W. Bush made a monthslong push to secure congressional authorization. No such vote was attempted on Iran, and an earlier Senate effort to halt Trump's actions after last summer's strike on Iran failed.
The congressional debate over war powers would mostly be symbolic. Even if a resolution were to pass the narrowly split Congress, Trump likely would veto it and Congress would not have the two-thirds majority needed to overturn that rejection. Congress has often failed to block other U.S. military actions, including in a Senate vote on Venezuela, but the roll calls stand as a public record.
Republican leaders back Trump's action
The response by House Speaker Mike Johnson reflected the party's long-standing views. Iran, he said, is facing “the severe consequences of its evil actions.”
Johnson, R-La., said the leaders of the House and Senate and the respective intelligence committees had been briefed in detail earlier in the week that military action “may become necessary” to protect U.S. troops and citizens in Iran. He said he received updates from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and will stay in “close contact” with Trump and the Defense Department "as this operation proceeds.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., commended Trump “for taking action to thwart these threats.”
Thune said he looked forward to administration officials briefing all senators — a signal that lawmakers are seeking more answers to their questions about Trump's plans ahead.
Democrats warn strikes are illegal
Many Democrats are calling the operation illegal, saying the Constitution gives Congress alone the power to declare war. To them, the administration has failed to lay out its rationale or plan for the military strikes, and the aftermath.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the president has undertaken “illegal, regime-change war against Iran.”
“This is not making us safer & only damages the US & our interests,” Van Hollen, D-Md., said in a social media post. “The Senate must immediately vote on the War Powers Resolution to stop it.”
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said while Iran is a “bad actor and must be aggressively confronted" for its human rights abuses and the threat it poses to the U.S. and allies, the administration "must seek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.”
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, demanded that Congress be briefed immediately on the administration's plans.
“Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home,” he said.
Kentucky elected officials split on attacking Iran:
US Senator Mitch McConnell:
"The Islamic Republic of Iran made “death to America; death to Israel” a central pillar of its brutal rule. For decades, it wielded violence and repression at home and exported violence and terrorism abroad. Today, my prayers are with the brave U.S. and Israeli servicemembers carrying out Operation Epic Fury, and with the people of Iran who have long struggled for the right to determine their own future. A regime that relishes killing Arabs, Israelis, Americans, and its own people deserves no sympathy."
US Senator Rand Paul:
As yet another preemptive war is begun in the Middle East, John Quincy Adam’s words of wisdom still ring true: “Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.” Like most Americans I have sympathy for the plight of the Iranian people and all subjected people around the globe, from North Korea to Tibet. But as Adam’s wrote, America: “goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear:
"The American people were promised by the president that he would avoid foreign conflicts. Generations of Americans are still dealing with long term impacts of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The president could have made his case at the State of the Union but instead played political games. He owes Congress and the American people a full explanation as these actions put American troops at significant risk."
Kentucky Third District Congressman Morgan McGarvey:
“President Trump is starting yet another war in the Middle East without the approval of Congress or the American people, putting our troops – who are our neighbors, our family members, and our kids – in harm’s way and spending billions on regime change in another country, all while Americans can barely afford their expenses at home.
“Speaker Johnson must reconvene the House immediately so Congress can vote on the Iran War Powers Resolution. I will vote to protect our troops and stop Trump's illegal war.”
Kentucky Sixth District Congressman Andy Barr:
"With the increased threat of retaliation from the Terrorist Regime of Iran and their proxies, Democrats will be aiding and abetting terrorists by keeping our Homeland Security Department shutdown.
I call on House and Senate Democrats to join us in protecting America by voting to reopen DHS immediately."
Kentucky Fifth District Congressman Hal Rogers:
"Please join me in prayer for our brave U.S. servicemembers as they take action against Iran’s nuclear threats and defend American troops and our allies in the Middle East.
Even after President Trump took decisive action last year to strike Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities, the evil regime in Iran has continued to murder its own people and pursue tyranny against America and our assets in the region.
'Operation Epic Fury' aims to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles and wipe out their nuclear ambitions. May their success bring lasting peace to the region."