WASHINGTON — Most congressional Republicans on Saturday praised the coordinated U.S. and Israeli attack on Iran, arguing that war was President Donald Trump’s last resort to halt the Middle East nation’s nuclear ambitions after months of failed diplomatic efforts.
But Democrats, along with Rep. Thomas Massie and Sen. Rand Paul, both Kentucky Republicans, expressed frustration that Trump had carried out the strikes without seeking congressional authorization. Some vowed to force a war powers vote in the House next week that would restrict Trump’s ability to carry out further attacks in Iran.
Follow along for live updates.
Massie, who authored the war powers resolution along with Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., before the overnight attack, called the strikes “Acts of war unauthorized by Congress.”
“I am opposed to this War. This 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 to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”
Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said next week wasn’t soon enough for Congress to respond to what he called “an appalling action by this president.” Kim told NBC News’ Kristen Welker that Congress must “reassemble as soon as possible this weekend to be able to vote on the war powers resolution to show that this is not something that the American people want.”
In a lengthy statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., questioned why Trump felt the need to carry out new military strikes against Iran when the president previously declared that his June 2025 strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.
He said Democrats will force a vote on the Massie-Khanna resolution when they return to Washington.
“Iran is a bad actor and must be aggressively confronted for its human rights violations, nuclear ambitions, support of terrorism and the threat it poses to our allies like Israel and Jordan in the region,” Jeffries said. “However, absent exigent circumstances, the Trump administration must seek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.”
A vote could be close, given the tiny Republican majorities in both the House and Senate. Unlike most legislation, a war powers resolution to limit Trump’s actions in Iran would need just 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 strikes on Iran are not a black-and-white issue on Capitol Hill.
Some MAGA Republicans who had railed against U.S. involvement in the Middle East and Afghanistan have grown wary of Trump’s turn toward military interventionism.
Asked on X if he backs Trump’s military strikes on Iran, Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, replied: “No. War requires Congressional authorization.”
Davidson added that he wants a briefing explaining the U.S. mission in Iran. If he’s not satisfied, he said, he will vote for the Massie-Khanna resolution.
Paul, a libertarian-leaning noninterventionist who frequently clashes with Trump, said on X that he does not support the strikes.
“The Constitution conferred the power to declare or initiate war to Congress for a reason, to make war less likely. … As with all war, my first and purest instinct is wish Americans soldiers safety and success in their mission,” he wrote. “But my oath of office is to the Constitution, so with studied care, I must oppose another Presidential war.”
Across the aisle, moderate Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., co-chair 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 War Powers Resolution of 1973.
“I agree with the President’s objectives that Iran can never be allowed to obtain nuclear capabilities. The President must now clearly define the national security objective and articulate his plan to avoid another costly, prolonged war in the Middle East,” Suozzi said on X.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., a staunch Israel supporter, is expected to join Republicans in voting against a war powers resolution.
“President Trump has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region,” Fetterman said on X. “God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel.”
Ahead of what the administration dubbed “Operation Epic Fury,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio called each member of the “Gang of Eight” congressional leaders, which includes House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., their Democratic counterparts, and top Intelligence Committee leaders, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
One member of the Gang of Eight was said to be unreachable.
Rubio had also briefed the Gang of Eight for an hour on Tuesday about the administration’s approach to Iran, before Trump’s State of the Union address, according to a White House official and a State Department official.
Separately, after strikes began overnight, the Defense Department notified the House and Senate Armed Services committees early Saturday morning, those sources said.
Thune said he supports Trump’s move and expects administration officials to brief all senators on the Iran strikes. “Despite the dogged efforts of the president and his administration, the Iranian regime has refused the 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 thwart these threats.”
Similarly, Johnson defended Trump’s actions and confirmed that he had been kept up to speed about the looming strikes throughout the week. He said he plans to stay in close contact with Trump.
“Today, Iran is facing 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 sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder of Americans—and even their own people,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Iran and its proxies have menaced 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.
About the Author
