US Democrats demand immediate Congress vote on Iran strikes
Democrats demand an immediate vote in the US Congress on the military action launched by Donald Trump against Iran, accusing Trump of usurping the legislature’s authority to declare war.
Trump announced the “major and ongoing operation” in an eight-minute video posted on social media at 2:30 a.m. (Washington time) and vowed to devastate the country’s missile industry and destroy its navy. He also called on the Iranian people to overthrow the Islamic regime in Tehran.
“When we’re done, take over your government. It will be yours,” he said. “For years you asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I wanted to do tonight.”
US officials have suggested that this wave of attacks could last four to five days; This is consistent with what an Israeli intelligence official said Financial Times This could end more quickly if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed last week and the regime was overthrown.
Trump used the term “war” in his video, saying that American casualties in war are always possible, but that it is a “noble duty.”
The scope of the strikes and the president’s broad goal of overthrowing the Islamic Republic led Democrats to demand a vote in Congress on the military campaign, arguing that only Congress can declare war under the U.S. Constitution and the War Powers Resolution.
Hakeem Jeffries, the leader of Democrats in the House of Representatives, said Iran is a bad actor and should be reined in, but absent urgent circumstances, Trump should seek authorization from Congress for preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.
“The Trump administration must immediately explain itself to the American people and Congress” and “provide a solid justification for this act of war,” he said.
He also noted that if Iran’s nuclear facilities are “completely and utterly destroyed” as Trump claimed last year, “there should be no need to strike them now.”
However, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called and briefed senior members of Congress before the attacks. He said he searched for all eight members of the so-called Gang of Eight and reached seven of them.
‘Once again, the American people are being dragged into a war they don’t want by a president who doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions.’
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
“The President and his national security team will continue to monitor the situation closely throughout the day,” Leavitt said on Saturday morning (US time).
The Gang of Eight, consisting of senior Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the intelligence committee, was personally briefed on Iran by Rubio at the beginning of the week.
Democrats are calling for a vote this week on a bipartisan resolution that would specifically require Trump to get approval from Congress to take any action against Iran.
Critics of the War Powers Resolution argue that it is outdated and does not effectively deal with modern military campaigns (particularly limited air strikes) that fall short of a full conventional war.
They also say that seeking congressional approval for such attacks would reveal impending action to the enemy, removing the element of surprise and severely weakening effectiveness.
Rahm Emanuel, White House chief of staff for Democratic president Barack Obama and a potential candidate for the Democratic nomination in 2028, told CNN this is a situation where congressional approval is required.
“When you call for regime change, it’s not a military action, it’s a war,” he said. “This is a change of government and the overthrow of a government… This is not a limited military operation.”
Emanuel said Trump gave numerous reasons for the attacks, including regime change. “All of the above and more. Therefore… they [Congress] There needs to be a vote.”
But there is also disagreement among Democrats on how aggressively to resist Trump on Iran. Jeffries and Senate leader Chuck Schumer called on the administration to explain itself and seek congressional approval, but they did not publicly condemn the strikes.
Meanwhile, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a young progressive Democratic congresswoman from New York, called the military action unlawful, unnecessary and disastrous.
“Once again, the American people are being dragged into a war they don’t want by a president who doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions,” he said, accusing Trump of being arrogant about potential American casualties.
Republican senator Lindsey Graham, one of the biggest supporters of military action against Iran in Congress, said Trump will not involve the United States in an ongoing war.
He told Fox News he believes the regime will be overthrown quickly. “The mother ship of terrorism is about to sink. A new dawn is coming in the Middle East,” he said.
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Michael Koziol is the North America correspondent for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former Sydney editor, Sun-Herald deputy editor and a federal political correspondent in Canberra.Connect with: X or email.
