Why Operation Epic Fury did not inspire lawmakers.
Democrats in Congress accused US President Donald Trump of failing to inform lawmakers before the start of Operation Epic Fury — massive attacks on Iran that followed strikes against the Islamic Republic by Israel. This was stated in particular by leading Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee Jack Reed, a senator from Rhode Island.
In Reed's statement, it was noted that the president barely mentioned Iran in his nearly two-hour — and record-length — address to Congress on Tuesday, which did not even receive any intelligence briefings. Furthermore, according to Reed, Trump did not specify the targets of the attacks, while Iran, although weakened, is still capable of retaliation.
“Iranian attacks on American bases have already begun, and we expect more on the battlefield, in cyberspace, and through Iran's proxy network throughout the region,” Reed's statement said.
At the same time, one of the Republican leaders, House Speaker Mike Johnson, representing Louisiana, stated that he was informed in advance about the strikes on Iran by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“For decades, Iran has brazenly developed its nuclear program while simultaneously arming and funding Hamas, Hezbollah, and other internationally recognized terrorist organizations. Iran and its proxies threaten America and the lives of Americans, undermine our core national interests, systematically destabilize the Middle East, and threaten the security of the entire West,” Johnson wrote, supporting the operation.
The American operation began on Saturday when Congress was not in session. The House of Representatives is not expected to resume work until at least Wednesday, while the Senate will reconvene on Monday. Currently, a resolution by Senator Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia, has been introduced in the upper chamber of Congress that could block the use of American military force against Iran. It is worth noting that a similar resolution aimed at the operation in Venezuela to capture its president Nicolas Maduro failed in the Senate in January. Republicans currently hold the majority in Congress.
In any case, Kaine called for the Senate to immediately return to work and vote on his resolution. According to him, everyone should speak out about this “idiotic action.”
“Americans want low prices, not wars — especially wars that are not approved by Congress, as required by the Constitution, and that have no clear objective. These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray that they do not cost the lives of our sons and daughters in uniform and in embassies across the region,” Kaine's statement said.
His call to resume Congress's work was supported by Senator Andy Kim from New Jersey. In an interview with CNN, he stated that he was ready to return to work today. Congressman Ro Khanna from California also called for the entire Congress to gather to discuss this issue.
Democratic Minority Leader in the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries, representing New York, also urged an immediate vote on the resolution regarding military powers. He demanded that Trump immediately provide the American people and Congress with justification for the strike on Iran and a plan that would help avoid another protracted military conflict in the Middle East.
Jeffries added that Trump “promised to keep America out of costly and endless foreign wars,” but is doing the exact opposite in the Middle East.
“The Constitution is clear: only Congress can declare war. The Senate must immediately reconvene to vote ‘for’ or ‘against’ the resolution on military powers,” wrote Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts on X (formerly Twitter).
She also noted that the slogan “America First” does not mean dragging the United States into another endless war “based on lies.”
“A draft dodger who has never worn a military uniform, Trump is now risking the lives of working-class children. I lost friends in Iraq. This is not leadership. This is reckless war. We can support freedom in Iran without endless conflict,” wrote Senator Ruben Gallego from Arizona on X.
He also reminded of Trump's statements in 2012 when he claimed that a war with Iran would be started by Barack Obama.
Senator Ed Markey (Democrat from Massachusetts) called the American attack “illegal and unconstitutional” as it was not approved by Congress. He also accused Trump of “consistently exaggerating” the Iranian nuclear threat, reminding that the president claimed that Tehran's nuclear program was destroyed as a result of last year's strikes.
Senator Mark Warner from Virginia, the leading Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, among other things, called on American leadership to avoid “the mistakes of the past.” He added that the presidential administration must provide a clear legal justification and a plan that would prevent dragging the United States “into another costly and unnecessary war.”
Congressman Jim Himes from Connecticut — the leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee — stated that Trump “has not learned the lessons of history.”
“As I told Secretary Rubio during his G8 briefing, military actions in this region almost never end well for the United States, and a conflict with Iran could easily spiral out of control in ways we cannot foresee,” he wrote on Facebook.
However, at least one Democrat, Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania, supported the attacks on Iran.
“Operation Epic Fury. President Trump was ready to do all the right and necessary things to establish genuine peace in the region. God bless the United States, our great military, and Israel,” he wrote on X.
As expected, Republican congressmen also praised the administration's actions. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, representing Mississippi in the upper chamber of Congress, stated that this step is “a key and necessary operation to protect Americans and American interests.” Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina — one of the main hawks in Congress — also reacted positively, stating that the operation was well-planned and would be “brutal, large-scale, and successful.”
“I have a thought in my head that the bloodthirsty ayatollah regime in Iran will soon cease to exist. The biggest changes in the Middle East in a thousand years are already on the doorstep. The likelihood of normalization of relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel is extremely high,” he wrote on X.
A rare Republican who spoke out against it was Congressman Thomas Massie from Kentucky, who stated that “this act of war is not sanctioned by Congress.”
