US attacks on Iran stoke debate over Trump’s presidential power: ‘this is not our fight’
Democrats and some Republicans said the strikes were unconstitutional, demanding more information in a classified setting
“Well done, President Trump,” Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina posted on social media. Alabama Senator Katie Britt called the bombings “strong and surgical”.
The Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said Trump “has made a deliberate – and correct – decision to eliminate the existential threat posed by the Iranian regime”.
The instant divisions in the US Congress reflected an already swirling debate over the president’s ability to conduct such a consequential action without authorisation from the House and Senate on the use of military force. While Trump is hardly the first US president to go it alone, his expansive use of presidential power raised immediate questions about what comes next, and whether he is exceeding the limits of his authority.
“This was a massive gamble by President Trump, and nobody knows yet whether it will pay off,” said Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Democrats and a few Republicans said the strikes were unconstitutional and demanded more information in a classified setting. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said that he received only a “perfunctory notification” without any details, according to a spokesperson.