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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ted Lieu (33 District of California)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after voting in favor of H.Con.Res. 38 – Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran .

“Our brave service members are executing dangerous missions against the Iranian regime. At least six U.S. servicemembers have been killed and many more seriously wounded. My prayers are for the families of the servicemembers who died, for the servicemembers who were seriously wounded, and for all servicemembers who are in harms’ way. The Administration must ensure our servicemembers, and all Americans, are safe from retaliatory attacks by the Iranian regime and its proxies. 

“The Iranian regime is a murderous regime that brutally kills its own people, funds terrorist organizations, and repeatedly states its goal is to destroy the United States and Israel. The Iranian regime can never get nuclear weapons. A world with fewer nuclear weapons is also a safer one for everyone. The autocratic and theocratic Iranian regime—if it had nuclear weapons—could launch those weapons of mass destruction at U.S. military bases, other U.S. interests, and allied countries such as Israel. Preventing the Iranian regime from getting nuclear weapons has been a longstanding, bipartisan goal. 

“While I strongly support the goal of preventing the Iranian regime from ever getting nuclear weapons, I believe massive and sustained military strikes ordered by the President on Iran needed congressional authorization. I served on active duty in the United States Air Force. I also taught the Law of Armed Conflict. From my first term in Congress until the present, I have consistently believed the Constitution means what it says: only Congress has the power to declare war. I publicly stated at the time that President Obama needed congressional authorization before conducting even limited strikes against Syria. My position that only Congress has the power to declare war has remained the same regardless of which party the President happens to belong to.

“To the extent the Administration entered this war for goals beyond eliminating Iran’s nuclear capabilities, then the actions by the President are even more unconstitutional because any self-defense argument becomes even more attenuated. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is dead. The world is a better place without the evil that he personified. We all yearn for a free and democratic Iran. The Administration, however, has alternated between suggesting this war is about regime change, and then suggesting it is not about regime change. 

“The Administration made no attempt to make the case for war to the American people and Congress prior to entering this war with Iran and did not seek an Authorization for the Use of Military Force. War is deadly, expensive and can have unintended effects. It is not something you announce on Truth Social and manage while hosting parties at Mar-A-Lago. The President disrespected the American people and violated the Constitution by making no meaningful effort to explain the rationale for this war with Iran or seek congressional authorization. 

“Even now, the Administration has failed to address meaningfully many basic questions, such as how the Administration intends to protect Americans and our service members from Iran’s retaliatory attacks, what the Administration’s exit strategy is, and what are the actual goals of this war with Iran.

“The Framers put in the greatest power they knew at the time—the power to declare war—under the sole authority of Congress. One reason is because forcing the President to make the case to the American people and Congress makes America safer and our war planning better. Had the President followed the Constitution and come before Congress, then Congress and the American people could have asked:

1. How does the Administration plan to protect Americans in danger in the Middle East? What are the evacuation plans?
2. How does the Administration plan to protect the multiple soft targets within range of Iran’s missiles and drones, such as our embassies and consulates?
3. How does the Administration plan to protect our military bases from being hit?
4. How does the Administration plan to have enough munitions to conduct this war without putting at risk other U.S. interests around the world?
5. How does the Administration plan to ensure the future regime in Iran is not the same as or even worse than the current regime?
6. What is the definition of victory?

“Based on the above reasons, I honored my oath to the Constitution and voted YES on the War Powers Resolution. For the Administration to continue this war, it must answer basic questions to the American people and Congress, make the case for war, and submit an Authorization for the Use of Military Force for congressional approval.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Earl L Buddy Carter (GA-01)

Headline: Carter statement on vote in support of our troops against war powers resolution

Carter statement on vote in support of our troops against war powers resolution

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement on the firing of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: 

Kristi Noem’s firing was long overdue. Her tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security will be remembered as one of the most corrupt, reckless, and disgraceful chapters in the department’s history.

Under Noem’s leadership, DHS abandoned its core mission of protecting the American people and instead became a political weapon. Families were torn apart. Communities—including in Maine—were terrorized by violent enforcement tactics. Lawful residents and American citizens were swept up in operations that too often operated outside the bounds of accountability and basic decency. At the same time, Noem treated the department as a vehicle for her own self-promotion and political ambitions, relying on cynical PR stunts and constant misinformation to obscure the damage being done.

The consequences of that leadership have been devastating. Americans were killed in the streets while DHS leadership deflected responsibility and doubled down on cruelty. Entire communities were traumatized by policies designed to intimidate rather than protect. The bloodshed and chaos that occurred under her watch demands far more than a quiet exit from office.

Whoever is in charge of DHS next—whether it’s Senator Markwayne Mullin or someone else—will inherit an agency in urgent need of reform. Nowhere is that clearer than at ICE, which has been empowered and emboldened by the staggering $170 billion it received through the Big Ugly Bill. That funding is already being used to expand mass surveillance, ramp up aggressive enforcement operations, and deploy poorly trained, unaccountable agents into communities across the country.

Kristi Noem needed to go. But let’s not forget the real architect behind the Administration’s cruel and dangerous immigration policy: Stephen Miller. He needs to be fired next.

This action does not move the needle, for me, on funding DHS. We must confront the abuses that occurred under Noem, demand transparency from this administration, and pursue reforms that ensure our immigration system respects the law, protects civil liberties, and treats people with basic humanity. No department entrusted with this much power can be allowed to operate without meaningful accountability ever again.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (1st District of Maine)

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) released the following statement on her vote for the bipartisan War Powers Resolution, which would have restricted the Trump Administration from taking further military action in Iran without Congressional approval:

Let me be clear: I am against any war launched without the approval of Congress. That the president chose to attack Iran—a country four times the size of Iraq, with 90 million people, a massive standing army, and formidable weaponry—without so much as an Oval Office address, is beyond dangerous.  

Only Congress has the authority to declare war. The bipartisan War Powers Resolution would have enforced that Constitutional power and required the president to seek our approval for any further action in Iran. Instead, Congress has basically given him a free pass and set a terrible precedent for future war powers disputes.

The Administration has not provided Congress or the American people with a coherent rationale for their strikes, let alone a detailed strategy or timeline. In the days since the initial, unsanctioned strikes, the president and his entirely unqualified Cabinet have only presented bumbling arguments, contradictory messages, and ever-shifting narratives. Their incompetence is dangerous, incredibly costly, and will yield catastrophic consequences for our country, for our troops, for the people of Iran, and for the world. Given the incalculable stakes and immense cost—an estimated $1 billion a day—of such an endeavor, I cannot and will not support this war.

Some are suggesting that, while the President should have consulted Congress before launching these attacks, now that the war has begun, there’s no way to pull back. I firmly reject this sentiment. Not only is it categorically false; it sets a dangerous precedent—allowing future presidents to start any war they wish, with the understanding that they can simply seek approval after the fact.

We’re already seeing the human toll of this disastrous and unjustified rush to war. Six U.S. servicemembers have lost their lives. More than 900 people, including civilians and school children, have been killed. Violence has erupted across the Middle East. I fear things will only get worse in the days and weeks ahead, especially if this Administration is allowed to continue conducting this operation without a cogent strategy or proper oversight.

Make no mistake: The people of Iran deserve better leadership than the brutal, oppressive regime currently in power. But history has shown us, repeatedly, that regime change without a concrete plan or broad international support almost always backfires—emboldening extremists and hardliners, sowing chaos and violence, and creating far more suffering than it ever prevents. Asking our troops to fight and die for a cause this ill-conceived, this poorly planned, and this unpopular is a betrayal of their service, and could potentially put thousands of them in harm’s way.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative James E (Jim) Clyburn (6th District of South Carolina)

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06) released the following statement via X on his vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution:

“I voted for the Iran war powers resolution because I believe the Constitution gives the power to declare war to Congress to avoid precisely this scenario: a misguided president putting American lives at risk in a military conflict without a clear national security justification and without a coherent plan to achieve a successful outcome.

“The American people want us to focus on making their lives better, not on the constantly shifting, ill-defined objectives that have been put forth by Trump and his advisers as the supposed goals of this war of choice.

“It is highly regrettable that the president and the vast majority of Republicans in Congress are acting contrary to the Constitution and to the will of the American people.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Mike Levin (CA-49)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Sean Casten (IL-06)

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Thompson Representing the 5th District of CALIFORNIA

Washington, D.C. – Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04) released the following statement today in response to the House vote on the Iran War Powers Resolution: 

“This president’s unauthorized war in Iran has already cost six American lives and over $5 billion in taxpayer dollars, and there is no clear end in sight. I voted against this war today.

“I’m a combat veteran, and like any combat veteran will tell you: war is hell. We need transparency from this administration on their plans in Iran, and they have failed to provide a clear justification for the war, a plan for the war, or an exit strategy to end the war.

“I was one of the few members of Congress who voted against the war in Iraq because of my own experience. Many of the people I served with never came home. And right now, we are barreling toward repeating the same mistakes that unnecessarily cost us so many lives and dollars.

“Let me be clear: Iran’s regime is terrible, and we must always defend our nation against threats. But this administration needs the authorization of Congress before sending American troops into harm’s way.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:

“Today, I voted against President Trump’s reckless war, which he has not justified to the American people or Congress. The people I represent want lower prices and less war from this Administration, but they are getting higher prices and more war.

“No one is lamenting the fate of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The President, however, has provided no clear objectives or plan for the ongoing combat operations against Iran, which have already cost six American servicemembers their lives.

“As I have done in the past and will continue to do, I honor and respect the women and men of the United States military. My thoughts are with the families of the six women and men killed in this conflict.”

Today, Rep. Larsen voted yes on a resolution that directs President Trump to remove the U.S. military from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its military, unless such hostilities are explicitly authorized by Congress. The resolution does not prevent the U.S. from defending itself from imminent attack. It also does not prevent the U.S. from collecting or sharing intelligence and counterintelligence with partners in line with the United States’ national security interests.

The resolution failed by a final vote of 212 to 219.

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Rick Larsen (2nd Congressional District Washington)

Today, Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement:

“Republicans have once again put forward a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill that fails to create accountability for ICE’s reckless enforcement agenda and killing of U.S. citizens. I voted no, and I will continue to oppose full-year funding for DHS until ICE agents are required to follow the same rules as every other law enforcement agency.

“At the same time, Congress must ensure that FEMA, the Coast Guard and critical aviation security functions within DHS remain fully funded and operational. These agencies are essential to helping the communities I represent recover from last year’s devastating floods and prepare for the World Cup, and helping to keep Americans safe. I support legislation to fully fund every agency within DHS except ICE, CBP and the office of the Secretary.”

The House of Representatives voted today on a bill to fully fund DHS with no reforms to ICE and CBP operations. The bill passed by a final vote of 221 to 209.

Rep. Larsen is cosponsoring legislation to fully fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and every other agency within DHS except ICE, CBP and the Office of the DHS Secretary. He is the top Democrat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has jurisdiction over FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and TSA.

Rep. Larsen supports negotiating a full-year funding bill for ICE, CBP and the office of the DHS Secretary that creates accountability and oversight of ICE operations and DHS detention facilities.

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