Support for President Donald Trump’s military strikes against Iran is split along party lines. The U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, resulting in the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the deaths so far of six American service members.
“President Trump and his Administration have launched the United States into a war with Iran with no authorization from Congress,” said U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) in a Feb. 28 press release. “Only Congress has the power to declare war, not the President. Iran is a terrorist state that can never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, which is why I supported tough economic and diplomatic measures that effectively constrained Tehran’s nuclear ambitions for years … Having chosen, once again, to act unilaterally, the Trump Administration must explain immediately to Congress and the American people how it plans to prevent these events from creating a chain reaction that hopelessly destabilizes Iran or ignites a regional conflagration that jeopardizes the lives of American troops.”
U.S. Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO) voiced his support for the action during a March 2 appearance on the Jeff and Bill show. “I’m supportive of this operation,” he said. “I think the president didn’t have a choice. This has been coming for many, many years. I see intelligence on the committees that I sit on, that I think if most people saw, they would see and understand the threat.”
Bennet, who sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, disagreed. “As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have seen no new intelligence or information suggesting that Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon had become more imminent, as the Administration suggested,” he said in a news release.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), in addition to U.S. Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) and others, called for congressional oversight of military action.
“President Trump has bypassed his constitutional duty to seek congressional authorization for operations in Iran,” said Hickenlooper in a Feb. 28 press release. “By failing to consult Congress, he operates without an articulated goal, strategy, or endgame. This unilateral action ignores most Americans’ desire to avoid endless foreign wars, creating the distinct impression of a calculated distraction from his domestic failures including the economy, ICE violence, and the unreleased Epstein files. While we would certainly welcome the fall of Iran’s terror-sponsoring and repressive regime, the President’s reckless approach leaves us facing profound, unanswered questions about the new dangers he has unleashed.”
“Trump is plunging us into another war in the Middle East,” said Crow in Feb. 28 press release. “He’s learned nothing from decades of failed conflicts. It’s a war of choice with no clear end game, no authorization from Congress, and little support from Americans. I went to war three times for this country and learned that when elites in Washington bang the war drums, working class folks pay the price. The tough talk of a five-time draft dodger falls flat for Americans tired of military adventurism. Americans want us out of the regime change business. Endless war has cost us thousands of lives and trillions of dollars. Meanwhile, Americans are struggling to pay for health care, groceries, and housing. This Administration owes Congress and Americans answers. Congress should return to Washington immediately to vote on the War Powers Resolution and ensure the safety of our service members.”
Crank pushed back on calls for congressional authorization. “I wish there would have been a resolution authorizing it beforehand and I think we could have gotten the votes here,” he said, before mentioning Crow specifically. “Jason Crow knows that [Trump] was elected President of the United States, and our Constitution makes him the commander-in-chief, not Jason Crow, and not Jeff Crank. He ought to give this president the same deference that he gave to Barack Obama and he gave to Joe Biden when he didn’t ask for that resolution of support during Barack Obama’s time — he attacked Syria without coming to Congress and asking for authorization. I’d try to be consistent in this. I was not in Congress during the Obama years. President Obama fired over three hundred drone strikes at terrorists, and in fact, even killed an American citizen with one of those drone strikes, but I try to give wide latitude to presidents because I love my country enough to do that.”
Crow was elected in 2019, three years after Obama left office.
U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans (R-CO) argued on Facebook that Trump’s recent strikes fall under Bush-era authorizations for the Global War on Terror. “Iran has long been known to help Al-Qaeda — dating back to the 1990’s,” Evans wrote. “Al-Qaeda rose to prominence across the globe after formulating the devastating Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that killed thousands of innocent American citizens. In response to the extreme terrorist attacks and multiple tragedies of 9/11, Congress passed the 2001 Authorized Use Of Military Force (AUMF) on September 18 of that same year. This law authorized then-President George W. Bush, and any future President to use ‘all necessary and appropriate force’ against those responsible for the 9/11 attacks — specifically targeting Al-Qaeda, the Taliban, their supporters and any other associated forces. Since being enacted, it has been used by four administrations for operations in over 22 countries. Iran’s regime provided material support to Al-Qaeda and continues to back terror networks worldwide. President Trump’s use of force on Saturday morning therefore falls under what has already been congressionally approved.”
The Senate voted today on a bipartisan war powers resolution, but it was blocked by Senate Republicans. “I’m a YES on the bipartisan Iran War Powers Resolution,” said Hickenlooper in a March 3 news release. “The Constitution is clear: Congress decides if we go to war — not the President. There has been no articulated goal, strategy, or endgame from the Trump administration for this war that has already resulted in the loss of service members and innocent lives. They very clearly don’t have one. The American people don’t want another forever war in the Middle East. They want President Trump to live up to his promises to make life affordable for working families.”
Crank declined to put a timeline on actions against Iran. “I think that the president was pretty clear, and the Secretary of War was clear this morning in his briefing that it will last as long as it takes, that they aren’t going to put a timeline on it,” he said.
