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Congressional Democrats are criticizing President Trump for bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities without congressional approval, with at least a few arguing it is grounds for impeachment.
Several Democratic lawmakers — and a few Republicans — took to social media to denounce the military strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites as unconstitutional, saying only Congress has the authority to declare war or launch an offensive military campaign when there is no immediate threat to the U.S.
“No president has the authority to bomb another country that does not pose an imminent threat to the U.S. without the approval of Congress,” said Rep. Sean Casten, Illinois Democrat. “This is an unambiguous impeachable offense.”
Mr. Casten acknowledged that Democrats, who are in the minority in the House or Senate, would likely not have the votes to impeach Mr. Trump.
Still, he urged House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, to “grow a spine and learn to be a real boy” and stand up for the separation of powers. If not, he said, “we have a BFing problem that puts our very Republic at risk.”
“I am open to the idea that the U.S. should attack Iran,” Mr. Casten said, acknowledging that Tehran is a nuclear threat. “But I am not open to the idea that Congress cedes all authority to the executive branch. No matter how many lickspittle sycophants in the GOP argue to the contrary.”
Mr. Johnson defended Mr. Trump acting without congressional approval, saying the commander-in-chief “evaluated that the imminent danger outweighed the time it would take for Congress to act.”
“The world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants ‘Death to America,’ simply could not be allowed the opportunity to obtain and use nuclear weapons,” he said. “The President fully respects the Article I power of Congress, and tonight’s necessary, limited and targeted strike follows the history and tradition of similar military actions under presidents of both parties.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York Democrat, said Mr. Trump’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,” she said. “It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York Democrat, did not mention impeachment but issued a scathing statement warning that Mr. Trump “shoulders complete and total responsibility for any adverse consequences that flow from his unilateral military action.”
“Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East,” he said. “He has failed to deliver on that promise. The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way.”
Mr. Jeffries said the president “misled the country about his intentions” and failed to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force. He demanded the Trump administration explain to the American people why the military action was taken and “fully and immediately” brief Congress with additional details in a classified setting.
The Trump administration did not tell top Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Sen. Mark R. Warner of Virginia, respectively, about the strikes before they happened, although the White House gave the heads up to GOP Intelligence Committee Chairs, Rep. Rick Crawford and Sen. Tom Cotton, both of Arkansas.
In a post on X above Mr. Trump’s announcement, Mr. Himes excoriated the president for striking Iran before telling him.
“According to the Constitution we are both sworn to defend, my attention to this matter comes BEFORE bombs fall,” he said. “Full stop.”
Mr. Warner said Mr. Trump “took steps that could drag the United States” into another war “without consulting Congress, without a clear strategy, without regard to the consistent conclusions of the intelligence community, and without explaining to the American people what’s at stake.”
Mr. Trump had said on Friday Iran’s nuclear program had advanced to the point that they could have a nuclear weapon “within a matter of weeks, or certainly within a matter of months.”
“We can’t let that happen,” he said.
Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, questioned those claims, citing the Israeli foreign minister’s comments from the same day saying that his country’s bombing had set the Iranian nuclear program back at least two or three years.
“So what made Trump recklessly decide to rush and bomb today?” Mr. Kaine asked on social media Saturday. “Horrible judgment. I will push for all Senators to vote on whether they are for this third idiotic Middle East war.”
Earlier this week, Mr. Kaine introduced a war powers resolution directing the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces for “hostilities” against Iran unless explicitly authorized by a congressional declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran. He has the power to force a vote on it as soon as next week.
Reps. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, California Democrat, introduced a similar measure in the House.
Mr. Khanna said Congress should immediately return to Washington to vote on the resolution “to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war.”
Mr. Massie simply called Mr. Trump’s strikes on Iran “not Constitutional.”
“While President Trump’s decision may prove just, it’s hard to conceive a rationale that’s Constitutional,” said Rep. Warren Davidson, Ohio Republican.
Mr. Davidson said he looked forward to Mr. Trump’s remarks to the nation, but the president did not explain the authority he relied on for the strikes in his brief address.
Even some Republicans who approved of the president’s action in striking Iran questioned what comes next.
“Our commander-in-chief has made a deliberate — and correct — decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime,” said Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker, Mississippi Republican. “We now have very serious choices ahead to provide security for our citizens and our allies and stability for the Middle East.”
Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch, Idaho Republican, said the bombings of Iran’s nuclear facilities are “not the start of a forever war.”
“There will not be American boots on the ground in Iran,” he said. “This was a precise, limited strike, which was necessary and by all accounts was very successful. As President Trump has stated, now is the time for peace.”
Yet, some Americans and lawmakers are worried.
“Let us join together and pray for the safety of our U.S. troops and Americans in the Middle East,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Georgia Republican, posted on social media. “Let us pray that we are not attacked by terrorists on our homeland after our border was open for the past 4 years and over 2 Million gotaways came in.”
Sen. Bernard Sanders, Vermont independent, announced the news of Mr. Trump’s strikes on Iran at a rally he was holding in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“No more war. No more war,” the crowd chanted in response, prompting Mr. Sanders to say, “I agree.”
“It is so grossly unconstitutional. All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right,” Mr. Sanders said, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Some Democrats drew parallels between the Iraq war, which Mr. Trump vehemently opposed.
“While bombing Iran’s nuclear sites may slow nuclear development, it intensifies anti-American hatred and calls for deadly retaliation, encourages more Iranians to rally around their repressive regime, and increases Iranian eagerness to go nuclear as protection from future attacks,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Texas Democrat.
“The fall of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad was the beginning, not the end of chaos in Iraq that led to 4,000 American deaths and cost $2 trillion,” he said. “The same could happen here.”
• Kerry Picket contributed to this story.
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