By Anne Brennan | abrennan@masslive.com
Massachusetts politicians say the U.S. attack on Iran is illegal and unconstitutional, and are calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan War Powers Resolution next week.
The resolution, filed by Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., would compel the Trump administration to seek Congress’s permission before engaging in any further activity in Iran, according to a CNBC report. Democrats hope to force a vote on the measure on Tuesday.
Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the sole authority to declare war, though that authority has eroded in recent history through actions by the executive branch.
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, and U.S. President Donald Trump called on the Iranian public to “seize control of your destiny” by rising up against the Islamic leadership that has ruled the nation since 1979.
Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and U.S. military bases in the region.
Some of the first strikes on Iran appeared to hit areas around the offices of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Smoke could be seen rising from the capital as part of strikes that Iranian media said occurred nationwide. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the 86-year-old leader was in his offices when the attack occurred.
‘This is a crisis of Trump’s creation’
“Trump’s military attack on Iran is illegal and unconstitutional,” Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., said in a Saturday post on the social platform X. ”It was not approved by Congress and holds dangers for all Americans.
“Trump’s illegal actions raise the threat of escalation into a wider regional war with grave risks for U.S. troops and civilians in the region. Trump has consistently exaggerated the imminence of Iran’s nuclear threat, even after insisting the United States ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program during his illegal Operation Midnight Hammer attack. Even Secretary of State Marco Rubio admitted Iran is not enriching uranium.”
“There was time for diplomacy before this attack, and there still is. Congress must immediately vote on Senators (Tim) Kaine and (Adam) Schiff’s bipartisan War Powers Resolution and do its constitutional duty.
“A diplomatic solution remains the best way to permanently and verifiably prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“This is a crisis of Trump’s creation. Americans do not want another endless war in the Middle East. They do not want to see young men and women sent overseas for endless warfare while families at home cannot afford health care. If Trump does not stop this war now, Congress must. No more war with Iran.”
The American people need answers’
“President Trump is drawing the United States into another foreign conflict, returning American servicemembers to the Middle East once again, less than five years after the end of our 20-year War in Afghanistan,” U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, D-3rd Dist., said in a post on X. “The American people deserve answers. Congress has a constitutional responsibility to decide whether our nation goes to war – and that responsibility cannot be bypassed. Any military action against Iran must be openly debated and authorized by Congress.
“I’m praying for the safety of our servicemembers in the region who have been placed in harm’s way yet again and for their families who have already borne enormous sacrifice. Like all Americans, they were told just 10 months ago – when Trump ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites – that Iran’s nuclear capability was set back years as a result.
“Now, we’re being told something altogether different: that those strikes failed, and that Iran may be more dangerous than ever. Our men and women in uniform deserve a clear mission, defined objectives, and a strategy that protects U.S. interests and regional stability without sliding into another forever war.
“Every dollar and every American servicemember committed to an open-ended conflict abroad is a dollar and a life not invested here at home – in the families already stretched thin at the grocery store, on their utilities and at the doctor’s office. At a moment of real economic pressure, driven in part by reckless policies advanced by this administration, the last thing our country needs is a costly war launched without congressional debate or a clear strategy.”
‘I am praying for our service members’
“In 2018, President Trump pulled the United States out of the agreement that limited Iran’s ability to pursue nuclear weapons and helped prevent an arms race in the Middle East. Today, he has launched an unauthorized strike on Iran, unnecessarily putting the lives of our men and women at risk,” U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-1st Dist., said in a written statement on his website.
“The American people deserve answers, which is why Congress must reassert its constitutionally mandated war power and debate this matter on its merits in plain view. Whether it be the operation that clearly failed to take out Iran’s nuclear capability, or the strikes in Venezuela that ousted a foreign leader with no clear military objective, I have consistently called on the President to seek authorization from Congress. The same holds true today.
“While nobody refutes the notion that the Iranian regime is a corrupt and repressive government that has committed countless human rights violations, the fact remains that the President must seek congressional approval and fully brief Congress on his objectives and justification.
“House Democrats plan to force a vote on a resolution next week to rein in the President’s military operations in Iran, and I fully intend to support it.
“I am praying for our service members who have been put in harm’s way. We cannot let another generation fight another endless war with no clear endgame. That is why Congress must fulfill its responsibility as a coequal branch of government and reaffirm its Article I authority.”
‘Congress must reclaim its war powers’
“Operation Epic Fury is a war of choice without congressional authorization.
“Given his lies to the Iranian protestors about help on the way, his weakness in Ukraine, and his blood-for-oil scheme in Venezuela, this president has no credibility on either the strategy or law guiding foreign policy,” U.S. Rep. Jake Aughincloss, D-4th Dist., and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, posted on X. “Congress must reclaim its war powers and insist that military force against Iran be debated in plain view of the American people, not on Signal chats.
“I will vote Yes next week on the War Powers Resolution to end hostilities with Iran until and unless the president comes to Congress for an authorization.
“As I have previously, on policy regarding China & Russia, I am ready to work across the aisle to craft congressionally directed strategy on Iran, especially for securing American air supremacy in the region and supporting the Iranian people’s right to self-determination.
“But first congressional Republicans must call the question on this fundamental issue of war powers by voting against a reckless commander-in-chief and for the Constitution.”
