Democrats Call For Congressional Vote On Trump's 'Illegal' War Against Iran

Republican lawmakers cheered the strikes against Iran despite the president's campaign promises to keep the U.S. out of military entanglements abroad.

WASHINGTON ― Congressional Democrats questioned the legality and strategy behind President Donald Trump’s decision to launch surprise military strikes against Iran on Saturday night, with some lawmakers going so far as to call for his impeachment.

While Republican leaders and many rank-and-file GOP lawmakers stood by Trump’s bombing of Iran’s major nuclear enrichment facilities, Democrats condemned his actions and called for a vote under the War Powers Act, which limits military action without the consent of Congress.

“No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), a longtime Iran hawk, said in a statement. “Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity. The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased.”

“We must enforce the War Powers Act and I’m urging Leader Thune to put it on the Senate floor immediately. I am voting for it and implore all Senators on both sides of the aisle to vote for it,” Schumer added, referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who praised Trump for the military action.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the top Democrat in the House, accused Trump of misleading the nation and called for a briefing for members of Congress. The Trump administration briefed top Republicans before the Iran strikes, but not Democrats.