WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s ordered strikes on Iran Saturday morning are drawing reaction from lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum.
“I support President Trump’s decisive actions in response to Iran’s decades of relentless terrorist activity, its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons, and the grave threat it poses to the United States and our allies who seek freedom and peace,” North Dakota Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak said.
The U.S. and Israel launched a major attack on Iran on Saturday, according to the Associated Press, 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.
Minnesota Democratic Senator Tina Smith said, “We wake up this morning to learn that Trump has launched a reckless, illegal war. We can support the democracy movement and the people of Iran without risking the lives of our brave troops.”
She’s calling on her colleagues to ‘immediately return to Washington and use our Constitutional powers to pass a War Powers Resolution to stop this.’
“This war will not make us safer, nor will it help Americans afford groceries or health care or rent,” Smith said.
Senator Amy Klobuchar says Trump ‘with no authorization from Congress, has gone to war with Iran.’
“Under the U.S. Constitution, it is Congress – and not the President – who has the power to declare war,” she said. “Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, and the regime’s aggression in the region and repression of Iranian citizens must end. This military campaign, however, puts American troops at serious risk and has begun without a clear justification of any imminent need for war. Such a consequential decision requires debate and authorization from Congress.”
