‘This is not America First’: Republicans Oppose Trump’s War Against Iran
Members of the American Congress have been expressing their disapproval of President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran. Fellow Republicans, even those who had formerly supported Trump’s campaign, had lambasted him online.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched a ‘preemptive’ strike on Iran. In response, Iran retaliated by bombing U.S. bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. The choice to bomb Iran did not pass through the U.S. Congress.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie wrote about his opposition to Trump’s war on X. He wrote, “I am opposed to this war. This is not ‘America First.'” Massie added that he intends to work with Democratic Representative Ro Khanna to “force a congressional vote on war with Iran.”
Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who had staunchly campaigned and supported Trump, has also spoken out against the attacks on Iran. She emphasized that Trump is “a billionaire, and the American people, not the Iranian people, who voted for you are not billionaires.”
She wrote on X, “We, as in YOU and me, campaigned on America First. This is NOT it.”
Senator Rand Paul condemned the war and emphasized in his tweet, “The Constitution conferred the power to declare or initiate war to Congress for a reason, to make war less likely.”
Can Trump Bypass Congress to Declare War?
Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war. But presidents in the past have also proceeded with military operations without express consent from Congress. The Vietnam War and the Afghanistan War are examples of these—they are widely considered wars, but they are not viewed as such on a constitutional level.
Additionally, the War Powers Resolution allows Congress to force votes on unauthorized military operations. The president can send troops in an emergency but must report to Congress within 48 hours. If Congress still does not vote for military action within 60 days, the president must withdraw the troops within 30 days.
Trump frames his attack on Iran as ‘preemptive’ and has already dropped the first bombs, and it’s within his rights as president. Congress may have the power to check the president by vote, but until then, Trump, the leader of the Board of Peace, has 90 days to continue warring with Iran.
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