Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led an angry chorus of Democratic leaders Saturday in condemning the U.S. military and their strikes with Israel on Iran.
Pelosi accused President Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by launching what she called an unnecessary war without congressional approval.
“President Trump’s decision to initiate military hostilities into Iran starts another unnecessary war which endangers our service members and destabilizes an already fragile region,” Pelosi wrote on social media. “The Constitution is clear: decisions that lead our nation into war must be authorized by Congress.”
The strikes, launched Saturday under the name Operation Epic Fury, killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei along with multiple senior military officials. Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone attacks across the region, killing at least four American service members.
California Sen. Adam Schiff joined Pelosi in protesting the strikes.
“The Iranian regime is a brutal and murderous dictatorship,” Schiff said. “But that does not give Trump the authority to unilaterally initiate a war of choice.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris called the operation “a dangerous and unnecessary gamble with American lives,” and claimed Trump was “dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want.”
The administration and their allies pushed back. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump “made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions” before launching the strikes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Iran’s nuclear ambitions, missile program, and support for radical Islamic terror groups had posed “a clear and unacceptable threat” to U.S. interests. Sen. Dave McCormick said Iran “rejected a path to peace and prosperity” after Trump offered them a deal.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-P.A., broke with his party, saying Trump “has been willing to do what’s right and necessary to produce real peace in the region.”
“The U.S. pursued negotiations. Iran refused to end enrichment, rejected a reasonable deal, and chose arrogance over peace,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-F.L., said.
The White House said Secretary of State Marco Rubio notified congressional leadership before the strikes began. House and Senate members were scheduled to receive full classified briefings Tuesday afternoon from Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine.