WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Key members of Congress are demanding a swift vote on a that would restrain President Donald Trump’s unless the administration wins their approval for what they warn is a potentially illegal campaign that risks pulling the United States into a deeper .
Both the House and Senate, where the president’s Republican Party has a slim majority, had already drafted such resolutions long before the . 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.
鈥淗as President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East?鈥� said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a leader in the bipartisan effort. He said the strikes on Iran were 鈥渁 colossal mistake.鈥�
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. 鈥淐ongress must convene on Monday to vote,鈥� Khanna said, 鈥渢o stop this.鈥�
Massie blasted Trump’s own presidential campaign slogan and said: 鈥淭his is not 鈥楢merica First.鈥欌��
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.
鈥淲ell done, Mr. President,鈥� said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. 鈥淎s I watch and monitor this historic operation, I鈥檓 in awe of President Trump鈥檚 determination to be a man of peace but at the end of the day, evil鈥檚 worst nightmare.鈥�
War powers debate tests Congress
The administration鈥檚 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 in deep and dramatic ways. Nearly two months earlier, Trump ordered U.S. strikes that toppled Venezuelan leader Nicol谩s 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 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 , but the roll calls stand as a public record.
Republican leaders back Trump’s action
The response by reflected the party’s long-standing views. Iran, he said, is facing 鈥渢he severe consequences of its evil actions.鈥�
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 鈥渕ay become necessary鈥� to protect U.S. troops and citizens in Iran. He said he received updates from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and will stay in 鈥渃lose contact鈥� with Trump and the Defense Department “as this operation proceeds.鈥�
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., commended Trump 鈥渇or taking action to thwart these threats.鈥�
Thune said he looked forward to administration officials briefing all senators 鈥� 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 鈥渋llegal, regime-change war against Iran.鈥�
鈥淭his is not making us safer & only damages the US & our interests,鈥� Van Hollen, D-Md., said in a social media post. 鈥淭he Senate must immediately vote on the War Powers Resolution to stop it.鈥�
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said while Iran is a 鈥渂ad 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.鈥�
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, demanded that Congress be briefed immediately on the administration’s plans.
鈥淚ran 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,鈥� he said.
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Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt Brown contributed to this report.
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