Cheering support and instant condemnation captured the range of reaction from American politicians to the news of the US bombing of nuclear targets in Iran.
This, according to The Guardian, reflects deep divisions in the country that cross party lines as Washington grapples with yet another military intervention overseas.
The newspaper points out that the attack by the US rapidly reversed the “waiting posture” Trump had appeared to adopt when he said last week Iran would get two weeks before a US decision on whether or not to join Israel’s military intervention, launched earlier this month.
Democratic California congressman Ro Khanna and hard-right Republican congressman Thomas Massie were planning to introduce a measure that would force Trump to get congressional approval to enter Israel’s conflict with Iran.
Khanna posted on X: “Trump struck Iran without any authorization of Congress. We need to immediately return to DC and vote on @RepThomasMassie and my War Powers Resolution to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war.”
Massie himself tweeted on X: “This is not Constitutional.” *
The Guardian says Massie and Khanna represent a rare moment of cross-party cooperation in the deeply divided US political landscape, though some other Republicans also expressed doubt. Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, regarded as a devotee of MAGA politics, has been critical of any US attack on Iran, and posted simply on X: “Let us all join together and pray for peace.”
US Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat of New York, demanded of Senate majority leader and South Dakota Republican John Thune that he should immediately call a vote on the matter.
Other Democrats also came out strongly against the attack, echoing Khanna’s stance. “President Trump has no constitutional authority to take us to war with Iran without authorization from Congress, and Congress has not authorized it,” said Virginia congressman Don Beyer.
Illinois congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi is quoted as saying: “If Iran was not fully committed to building a nuclear bomb in an accelerated time-frame, I’d be shocked if they are not now – have we just unleashed something that’s worse than what was happening before?”
However, The Guardian notes, the strike on Iran also had support among some Democrats, notably Pennsylvania Democratic senator John Fetterman, who has been a hawkish supporter of Israel and advocated for the US to join Israel’s assault on Iran.
“This was the correct move by @POTUS. Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities,” Fetterman posted.
*Later yesterday, Trump took to Truth Social to lambaste Republican Congressman Massie, the BBC reports.
Trump writes: “We had a spectacular military success yesterday, taking the ‘bomb’ right out of their hands (and they would use it if they could!) but, as usual, and despite all of the praise and accolades received, this ‘lightweight’ Congressman is against what was so brilliantly achieved last night in Iran.”
The president concludes: “MAGA is not about lazy, grandstanding, nonproductive politicians, of which Thomas Massie is definitely one.”