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US Democrats call Trump’s renewed war on Iran unconstitutional
They sharply criticized Trump on Monday, accusing him of bypassing constitutional limits on presidential war powers, misleading the public about the status of military action against Iran, and attempting to continue the war without proper congressional authorization, Press TV reported.
The criticism came after Trump formally notified Congress this weekend that the US is once again at war with Iran.
Mike Levin, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from California, said Trump had formally notified Congress that hostilities with Iran had resumed, arguing that the president’s decision to announce a renewed conflict while claiming unilateral authority over military action runs counter to the US Constitution.
“No president has the right to claim absolute and exclusive authority over war,” Levin asserted, calling for an end to partisan divisions and urging Republicans to join Democrats in opposing the “idea of one individual unilaterally deciding on war and peace.”
New Mexico Democratic Representative Teresa Leger Fernández also condemned Trump's notification, saying the president cannot declare a war over on paper merely to avoid legal restrictions and then restart it whenever he chooses. “Enough is enough; the lies and endless wars must stop,” Fernández stressed.
She noted that after previously claiming the war had ended, Trump is now informing Congress that the US is once again at war with Iran while seeking another 60 days to start military actions without obtaining congressional approval.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer likewise denounced the renewed military offensive against Iran, writing on X that Trump “must comply” with votes passed by both the House and Senate “to remove our forces from harm’s way and end this war now.”
“Donald Trump's so-called ‘understanding’ with Iran fell apart faster than the ink could dry. The House and Senate both voted to remove our forces from harm’s way and end this war now. Trump must comply. Enough is enough. End the war,” he said.
Schumer's remarks referred to a War Powers Resolution approved by both chambers of Congress in June, which instructed the president to withdraw US forces from military conflicts involving Iran. Speaking on the Senate floor, the Minority Leader also mocked Trump’s notification to lawmakers, saying, “President Trump formally notified lawmakers that the nation is once again at war with Iran. Really? Thanks Donald, nobody seemed to know that, did they?”
He further criticized the administration’s handling of the war, saying, “Donald Trump’s rinse-and-repeat approach to the Iran War isn’t a strategy – it’s a recipe for utter disaster. We keep moving backwards. Gas prices stay high, casualties increase, costs increase. It’s incredible what a fiasco this war is.”