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Massachusetts lawmakers swiftly condemned President Donald Trump’s decision to launch air strikes against Iranian nuclear sites, saying the Republican should have sought congressional authorization before taking action.

“Trump offered the American people no strategy and no justification for his attack on Iran — only the prospect of another war that the American people do not want,” U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-1st District, posted to X.

“That’s why Congress, as the voice of the people, is entrusted with the constitutional authority to decide matters of war. I pray for the safety of our troops and the American lives that have been put in harm’s way in the region,” Neal, the top Democrat on the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, wrote.

“The only path to peace in the region is one where we exhaust every avenue of diplomacy,” he continued.

U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, D-2nd District, sharply condemned the attack.

“This is insane. Trump just bombed Iran without Congressional approval, illegally dragging us into war in the Middle East. Have we not learned our lesson!?!?“ McGovern wrote in a post to X. “Congress must return to Washington at once to vote on [U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie’s] War Powers Resolution to stop this madness.”

Last week, Massie, R-Ky., and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introduced a war powers resolution that would forbid U.S. involvement without congressional authorization.

“This is not our war,” Massie wrote on X. “Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”

U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District, a Marine veteran, similarly called for a public debate on military action.

“Two things should happen immediately: Iran surrenders its nuclear program & ceases funding terrorists; Congress revokes the 2001 & 2002 war authorities so that the American public can get an open & thorough debate on war-making.” Auchincloss posted to X.

Trump expressed certainty that his gamble to assist the Israelis directly had delivered a knockout blow to Iran’s nuclear program — even as many supporters and detractors alike were warning that U.S. military action could draw the United States into an expansive regional conflict.

Trump, in brief remarks to the nation on Saturday night from the White House, said the U.S. strikes “obliterated” three critical Iranian enrichment facilities and “the bully of the Middle East must now make peace.”

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who was among the New England lawmakers who had similarly sought to block the White House from taking military action without Congress’s approval, said the U.S. had entered “a horrific war of choice.”

“The United States should not wage war against Iran,“ Warren posted to X. ”Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran is unconstitutional. Only Congress can declare war — and the Senate must vote immediately to prevent another endless war."

In a follow-up post, Warren, who sits on the Senate’s Armed Services Committee, added that “our servicemembers have a right to know that the president of the United States values their lives and sends them into harm’s way only with a clear plan. Trump has not done that.”

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-5th District, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, offered a similar sentiment.

“The power to declare war resides solely with Congress. Donald Trump’s unilateral decision to attack Iran is unauthorized and unconstitutional,” Clark posted to X. “In doing so, the President has exposed our military and diplomatic personnel in the region to the risk of further escalation. The American people, our men and women in uniform, and their families deserve answers.”

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., also called the bombing “unconstitutional,” in a lengthy statement posted to X, noting the attack “was not approved by Congress and holds danger for all Americans.”

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District, sharply condemned the attack.

“This is a violation of the Constitution that is risking innocent lives. We do not need another deadly, endless war. Congress must act immediately to rein in Trump,” Pressley said.

Associated Press reports are included in this story.