Bernie Sanders has sponsored an anti-war resolution in the Senate, while conservative Thomas Massie is doing the same in the House.
The members of Congress who put adherence to the United States Constitution ahead of presidential demands or elite partisan loyalties are uniting in an uncommon coalition to oppose deeper US involvement in the burgeoning conflict between Israel and Iran.
How uncommon? On Monday, as President Trump was sending signals that caused at least some analysts to suggest that he might increase US military support for Israel’s war efforts, US Representative Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who by just about any measure is the most seriously conservative member of Congress, went on social media to announce: “This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution. I’m introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution.”
“Signing on!” came the rapid response from one of Massie’s most prominent colleagues on the opposite side of the ideological spectrum: New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Another high-profile member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, California Democrat Ro Khanna, is Massie’s co–lead sponsor for the resolution, which seeks to force Trump to get congressional approval to enter the Israel-Iran war. The pair have structured the measure as a privileged resolution, meaning that it must receive a vote. “It’s time for every member to go on record,” said Khanna. “Are you with the neocons who led us into Iraq or do you stand with the American people?”
That message has gained traction in not just the House but also the Senate, where Vermont’s Bernie Sanders called out Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Friday decision to launch the attack on Iran. “Netanyahu started this war with a surprise unilateral attack against Iran, which has already killed hundreds of people and wounded many more,” explained Sanders. “This attack was specifically designed to sabotage American diplomatic efforts: Israel assassinated the man overseeing Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, despite the fact that further talks with the United States were scheduled for Sunday. Whatever you think of the corrupt and authoritarian Iranian regime, this attack clearly violates international law and the United Nations Charter.”
On Monday evening, Sanders introduced the No War Against Iran Act in the Senate, with a statement that referenced the oft-neglected constitutional requirement that wars must be declared by Congress, not initiated by presidential whim. “Our Founding Fathers entrusted the power of war and peace exclusively to the people’s elected representatives in Congress, and it is imperative that we make clear that the President has no authority to embark on another costly war without explicit authorization by Congress,” said the senator. “Another war in the Middle East could cost countless lives, waste trillions mo
