US Lawmakers Decry Trump’s Iran Strike as ‘Unconstitutional’
Washington (Quds News Network)- Members of US Congress have criticized Trump’s decision to join Israel’s attack on Iran, stating that “this is Israel’s war, not ours” and condemning the move as “unconstitutional.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, Republican of Idaho, said: “This war is Israel’s war, not our war.”
“This is not constitutional,” conservative Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky said on social media. He was referring to the power of Congress to declare war on foreign countries.
This is not Constitutional. https://t.co/EU3fS5jcwb
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 21, 2025
U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said: “President Trump misled the country about his intentions, failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force and risks American entanglement in a potentially disastrous war in the Middle East.”
My statement on Donald Trump’s unilateral military action in Iran. pic.twitter.com/2ZjZXlPbrl
— Hakeem Jeffries (@RepJeffries) June 22, 2025
Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said: “The president’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.”
The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers.
He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations.
It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 22, 2025
Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, a daughter of Palestinian immigrants, said: “President Trump sending U.S. troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of our Constitution. The American people do not want another forever war.”
President Trump sending U.S. troops to bomb Iran without the consent of Congress is a blatant violation of our Constitution. pic.twitter.com/pqzAeS4K19
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) June 22, 2025
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said the U.S. public “is overwhelmingly opposed to the U.S. waging war on Iran” and said Trump displayed “horrible judgment.”
Max Rose, a former Democratic member of Congress who now is a senior adviser to the progressive veterans’ group “VoteVets,” said: “Trump’s decision to launch direct strikes against Iran without congressional authorization is illegal.” Rose added: “This conflict is his and the Republicans who have abrogated all their responsibilities.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, demanded “clear answers” from Trump on the attack and called for an immediate vote on legislation that would require explicit authorization from Congress for the use of military force.
“The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased,” he said.
Representative Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, condemned the attack as unconstitutional and warned that it could drag the United States into a larger war.
“Donald Trump’s decision to launch direct military action against Iran without congressional approval is a clear violation of the Constitution, which grants the power to declare war explicitly to Congress,” he said in a statement.
“It is impossible to know at this stage whether this operation accomplished its objectives. We also don’t know if this will lead to further escalation in the region and attacks against our forces, events that could easily pull us even deeper into a war in the Middle East.”
Trump, “did not come to Congress to explain his reasons for bombing a sovereign nation and to seek authorization for these strikes,” Representative Diana DeGette, Democrat of Colorado, said in a statement.
“These reckless actions are going to put the lives of American service members and American citizens at risk.”
