Davidson’s congressional district includes all or parts of Miami, Butler, Darke, Preble and Hamilton counties.
The statement from the Davidson came as House Democrats threw their support behind the same resolution, which is backed by U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California.
“The president should not strike Iran before coming to Congress,” Khanna said to reporters. “George W. Bush got us into a war with Iraq that was a disaster, but at least he had the decency to come to Congress to ask for a vote.”
As more U.S. military assets were moved to the region over the past week, there was still hope that Tehran might blink.
“We’re all hoping that Iran comes to the table in a valuable way and abandons any attempt to continue their nuclear weapons program,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton. But like many other Republicans, Turner has made clear that doing nothing on Iran is not a choice.
“The president is right. A nuclear Iran is a threat to Americans and our allies,” Turner said after Trump raised the matter in his State of the Union Address.
Democrats have criticized Trump for threatening an attack on Iran, pointing out that he declared triumphantly last year -- and again this week -- that U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in 2025 had “obliterated” Tehran’s nuclear program.
“The United States military obliterated Iran’s nuclear weapons program with an attack on Iranian soil, known as Operation Midnight Hammer,” Trump said before Congress on Tuesday night.
“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy,” Trump explained, but he added that “no nation should ever doubt America’s resolve.”
After Democrats raised questions about the June 2025 attacks by U.S. bombers, U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio blasted Trump critics.
“This is just pure political grotesque behavior,” Moreno said on Fox News. “It infuriates me.”
But for Davidson and a handful of other Republicans, there needs to be a vote first in Congress to authorize any wide-ranging military action by the United States.
“War requires congressional authorization,” Davidson argued. “There are actions short of war, but no case has been made.”
About the Author