LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Last Saturday, the United States and Israel launched coordinated joint attacks on various sites in Iran, targeting key officials, commanders and military facilities in order to prompt a regime change. However, these operations took place without formal authorization from Congress, sparking calls for debate and votes to end the action—and reported troop deaths and injuries have led to more statements.
Presidents are able to conduct certain strategic operations on their own, though the Constitution gives Congress the power to wage war. President Donald Trump stated that the intention of the operation was to prevent Iran from gaining access to nuclear power and to end the regime in Iran.
Since late December last year, anti-government protests in Iran have surpassed the scale of the 1979 revolution. The Iranian government has responded with violence, killing protestors. Trump has been threatening military involvement since early January, followed by building military presence in the Middle East in February.
Meetings within the region were expected to determine U.S. action, and on February 28, the U.S and Israel proceeded with operations that ultimately killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
A report from Central Command on March 1 indicated that three U.S. service members were killed in action and five were seriously wounded. It also stated that major combat operations and the response effort is ongoing.
The operation is expected to continue in phases, while Congress still awaits more information.
Congress members expressed their condolences for the deaths and injuries of troops involved in the operation and regional Democrats and Republicans expressed their support to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Toppling the regime in Iran also garnered wide support.
However, Democrats and Republicans were split on the war powers resolution, with most Republicans uninterested in voting on it.
California Rep. Kevin Kiley, a Republican who represents California District 3, said, “I look forward to being briefed soon on the scale of operations, the strategy going forward, and any risks to American lives and interests that need to be met with urgency. Congress must be centrally involved in defining and pursuing U.S. objectives going forward.”
Democrats cited a lack of support from the American people and the lack of authorization from Congress.
Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada said, “I am concerned that the President’s approach to armed conflict over the past year and his Administration’s history of repeatedly withholding information and misleading Congress could lead us into another protracted Middle East conflict, without authorization from Congress. The Constitution is clear that only Congress has the ability to declare war and authorize the use of military force.”
California Sen. Alex Padilla said, “Regardless of what the President may think or say, he does not enjoy a blank check to launch large-scale military operations without a clear strategy, without any transparency or public debate, and not without Congressional approval. The Constitution is clear, and Republican members of Congress must join us in holding this administration accountable and restoring Congress’s role in foreign policy.”
Padilla expressed his support for the War Powers Resolution. He said, “A war started without authorization from Congress, a war without clear strategy, and a war that Americans do not want.”
Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto expressed her support for the war powers resolution. “This Administration has repeatedly shown it is willing to ignore Congress and use military power without any clear objectives, an end game, or an exit strategy. President Trump continues to put service members in danger and he must give the American people full transparency about his plans to confront the Iranian regime without dragging us into another costly and dangerous war.”
Sen. Adam Schiff of California urged Congress to assert the war powers resolution, quoting Trump’s previous statements that regime change wars unleash chaos. On the floor, he stated that previous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq proved it was difficult, costly, and dangerous to try to “build a new nation in our image or any other” and “it is impossible to do so through the dropping of bombs.”
Given the current split in Congress, it’s unlikely that a resolution will pass. And even if it does, Trump has the power to veto it, and the current Congress wouldn’t have the two-thirds vote necessary to overturn such a veto.
