Trump proclaimed on social media that Israel and Iran had agreed that there will be an "Official END" of their conflict. That tentative truce briefly faltered Tuesday when Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace, but Trump later declared it was "in effect!"
The separate briefings for the House and Senate were to be led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and deputy secretaries of state Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg.
Democrats in Congress, along with some Republicans, have many questions about Trump's unilateral decision to launch military action, arguing he should have gone to Congress for approval — or at least provided more justification for the attacks. Congress has not received any new intelligence since Gabbard told lawmakers in March that the U.S. believed Iran was not building a new nuclear weapon, according to two people familiar with the intelligence. The people insisted on anonymity to share what Congress has been told.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said it is "outrageous" that the administration postponed the briefings.
“There is a legal obligation for the administration to inform Congress about precisely what is happening,” Schumer said. “What are they afraid of? Why won’t they engage Congress in the critical details?”
California Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic caucus, said that lawmakers "need evidence, we need details and we need to know them now."
Many lawmakers feel they have been left in the dark on what led to the strikes and amid escalating tensions between the White House and Congress over the role of the United States internationally — disagreements that don't always fall along party lines.
Democrats have been generally suspicious of the Republican president’s strategy, and his motives abroad, but some believe the U.S. could have a role in supporting Israel against Iran. Others strongly believe the U.S. should stay out of it.
Some of Trump’s strongest Republican supporters agree with the Democrats who oppose intervention, echoing the president's years of arguments against “forever wars.” But most Republicans enthusiastically backed the strikes, saying Trump should have the power to act on his own.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Tuesday that the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were "clearly" within Trump's powers and went as far as to question the constitutionality of the War Powers Act, which is intended to give Congress a say in military action.
“The bottom line is the commander in chief is the president, the military reports to the president, and the person empowered to act on the nation’s behalf is the president,” Johnson told reporters.
After Trump first announced a ceasefire between the two countries on Monday, Republicans immediately praised him. Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, suggested in a post on X that Trump should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., posted: “Historic! The President of Peace!”
But Democrats said they wanted more information. After Iran’s retaliation on the U.S. base in Qatar earlier in the day on Monday, Schumer said he wanted an additional classified briefing “laying out the full threat picture, the intelligence behind Iran’s retaliation, and the details, scope, and timeline of any U.S. response.”
Senate Democrats are also forcing a vote as soon as this week on a resolution by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., requiring congressional approval for specific military action in Iran.
“You have a debate like this so that the entire American public, whose sons and daughters are in the military and whose lives will be at risk in war, get to see the debate and reach their own conclusion together with the elected officials about whether the mission is worth it or not,” Kaine said.
While he did not seek approval, Trump sent congressional leaders a short letter Monday serving as his official notice of the strikes, two days after the bombs fell.
Trump said the attacks were “limited in scope and purpose” and “designed to minimize casualties, deter future attacks and limit the risk of escalation.”
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Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Leah Askarinam, Matt Brown and Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP