Iran strikes were launched without approval from Congress, deeply dividing lawmakers [View all]

Source: NPR

An effort to limit the ability of the president to carry out sustained military action in Iran without approval of Congress is taking on new urgency after the U.S. and Israel launched strikes aimed at overthrowing the regime.

The strikes, which began early Saturday, were launched without congressional authorization. Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress, not the president, the power to declare war. Top Congressional Democrats and Republicans that make up a group known as the Gang of Eight — party leaders from both chambers, as well as the Intelligence committees' leadership — were notified by the White House shortly before the attack.

Initial reaction to the overnight attack has not split cleanly on partisan lines, though most praise has come from Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

"Today, Iran is facing the severe consequences of its evil actions," Johnson wrote in a statement. "President Trump and the Administration have made every effort to pursue peaceful and diplomatic solutions in response to the Iranian regime's sustained nuclear ambitions and development, terrorism, and the murder of Americans–and even their own people."

Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/02/28/nx-s1-5730203/iran-israel-trump-congress-strikes-reaction