WASHINGTON — Within minutes of President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. conducted strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran, congressional leaders began sharing reactions that fell largely along party lines –– with Republicans and Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman offering support for the president and Democrats, joined by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, calling the move “unconstitutional.”
Shortly before 8 p.m. EDT, Trump said on Truth Social that the U.S. had bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran, joining Israel’s effort to cripple the country’s nuclear program. The president’s announcement came two days after he said he would decide whether to strike Iran within two weeks.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., learned about the “alarming” strikes while taking part in his "Fighting Oligarchy" rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“The only entity that can take us to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right,” he told the Tulsa crowd, which chanted, “No more war!”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., shared a statement calling for members of Congress to be "fully and immediately briefed" in a classified setting.
"Donald Trump promised to bring peace to the Middle East. He has failed to deliver on that promise," Jeffries said. "The risk of war has now dramatically increased, and I pray for the safety of our troops in the region who have been put in harm’s way."
Fellow Democratic lawmakers –– including New York Rep. Jerry Nadler, Massachusetts House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, Texas Rep. Greg Casar, California Rep. Sara Jacobs, Wisconsin Rep. Mark Pocan and Georgia Rep. Nikema Williams –– each expressed outrage at Trump's decision to strike Iran without seeking congressional authorization. Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution grants Congress the power to “declare war.”
Massie reshared Trump’s social media announcement of the strikes less than 10 minutes after the president’s post.
“This is not Constitutional,” the Republican congressman wrote on X.
Massie announced Tuesday that he and California Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna had introduced a resolution seeking to prohibit U.S. involvement in Iran. Fourteen of their House colleagues co-sponsored the effort, and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced a companion version in the Senate.
Meanwhile, Republican congressional leadership shared messages of support for the strikes, with House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana calling the bombings a "clear reminder to our adversaries and allies that President Trump means what he says."
“The President’s decisive action prevents the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, which chants ‘Death to America,’ from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet. This is America First policy in action,” Johnson said in a statement. “God bless our brave men and women in uniform — the most lethal fighting force on the planet — as we pray for their safe return home. May God bless America.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota said he stood with Trump.
“The regime in Iran, which has committed itself to bringing ‘death to America’ and wiping Israel off the map, has rejected all diplomatic pathways to peace. The mullahs’ misguided pursuit of nuclear weapons must be stopped,” Thune said. “As we take action tonight to ensure a nuclear weapon remains out of reach for Iran, I stand with President Trump and pray for the American troops and personnel in harm’s way.”
Fetterman joined his colleagues across the aisle and called the strikes on Iran “the correct move.”
“Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism and cannot have nuclear capabilities,” he wrote on X. “I’m grateful for and salute the finest military in the world.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on X that the decision to strike Iran's nuclear sites was the "right call" by Trump.
"To my fellow citizens: We have the best Air Force in the world. It makes me so proud. Fly, Fight, Win," Graham wrote.
Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said Iran and its governance has been a “threat to peace” for decades.
“An Iran with a nuclear bomb gives birth to a world in jeopardy of cataclysmic destruction,” he wrote on X, saying that Trump had worked to negotiate “in good faith” but Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “overplayed his hand and now must pay the price.”
“May God protect the innocent lives at stake and the United States and Israel’s righteous efforts to put an end to the grievous bloodshed carried out by Iran and its jihadi proxies,” Murphy continued.