Goodlander: Trump 'Unilaterally Launched War' With Iran; Wants House Called Back in Session

This is a breaking story and will be updated

Listen to the President’s full remarks here.

The United States and Israel have launched a major attack on Iran to trigger a regime change as Tehran retaliates across the Middle East, The Guardian news outlet reported.

The Guardian reported at least 80 children dead as missile reportedly hit school in southern Iran. “The building appears to be among many devastated in Trump’s ‘major combat operations’ as long expected attacks arrive,” the news outlet reported.

White House spokesman Karoline Leavitt posted on social media that “President Trump monitored the situation overnight at Mar a Lago alongside members of his national security team. The President spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu by phone.

“Prior to the attacks, Secretary Rubio called all members of the gang of eight to provide congressional notification, and he was able to reach and brief seven of the eight members,” Leavitt posted.

U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-NH, criticized President Trump for doing so without congressional authorization.

Goodlander — a former Naval Intelligence Officer for over a decade and a Member of the House Armed Services Committee – said: “The President has unilaterally launched a war of choice against Iran without congressional authorization that is putting the lives of American troops on the line and risking a dangerous and costly regional conflict in the Middle East.

“Our Constitution is clear: the decision to go to war rests with Congress. I am calling on Speaker Johnson to bring the House back into session immediately. Giving the President a blank check to wage war is a dangerous dereliction of our most basic constitutional duty, and it is past time for Republican leadership in Congress to allow us to do our jobs on behalf of the American people.”

She said she is praying for the safety and success of our men and women in uniform.

“Congress and the American people deserve answers to basic questions from Donald Trump and his Administration: What are the imminent threats that led the President to launch this war of choice without congressional authorization? Why did we abandon diplomacy that could have blocked Iran from a nuclear weapon without the risks and costs to the American people of direct military action? How will regime change in Iran make America safer? What is the plan now? How does this end?

“The American people deserve accountability and answers, and I will not back down until we get both,” Goodlander said.

U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, D-NH, said: “I am actively monitoring this situation, and my thoughts are with U.S. military personnel and those in harm’s way. Iran is a terrorist state that has long fueled death and destruction aimed squarely at the United States and our allies.

“I have long supported efforts to degrade their capabilities to perpetrate terror through tough sanctions and diplomacy. But we cannot commit our troops to another costly and deadly war with no clear end game.

“As I said last year, I support war powers resolutions to prevent the President from unilaterally engaging in war without serious deliberation. Congress must immediately vote to restore its authority and this administration must come before Congress and the American people to present its plan to protect our service members and national security interests,” Pappas said.

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: “The Iranian regime has murdered Americans and its own people and has been a deeply destabilizing force in the region. No one will be sad to see them go. However, I am deeply concerned about the President’s lack of clear strategy for yet another open-ended war and particularly for the safety of our troops, American citizens and U.S. interests in the Middle East region. While the long-term diplomatic strategy was similarly not articulated or clearly planned for before the strikes in Venezuela, Iran is very different — and much more dangerous with a large missile arsenal, more sophisticated armed forces and a network of proxy groups.

“The President has shown a disappointingly cavalier approach towards the use of force, even when it risks the lives of the tens of thousands of U.S. service members and diplomats in the region as well as our allies and partners, who are already under attack. The American people expect and deserve better from their President.”

“The President has also failed to address critical questions about the objectives, authorization, economic impact and potential for rapid escalation. The American people and Congress deserve immediate answers. Transparency and a clear articulation of long-term objectives are critical to preventing yet another open-ended conflict in the Middle East and ensuring the safety of Americans at home and abroad. There is a bipartisan war powers resolution on the floor now, ready for a vote. Before this entanglement grows, Congress should come back into session and vote on it immediately,” Shaheen said.

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, said: “I join all Americans in praying for the U.S. service members who are in harm’s way today, a day on which President Trump recklessly and unilaterally decided to enter our country into another foreign war. The Iranian regime is one of the world’s largest state sponsors of terrorism, and it poses a threat to its own people, the security of our country, and the security of our allies around the world.

“But confronting this threat, and keeping our service members safe in the process, requires the support of the American people through coordination with Congress, which has the sole power to declare war under our system of government. Today’s strikes against Iran were launched by the President without any pretense of seeking — much less obtaining — the consent of the American people through their representatives in Congress. His failure to follow the Constitution in this regard increases uncertainty, creates disunity at home and abroad, and ultimately weakens us.

“Now, our country is engaged in a war of unknown length, with potentially enormous and far-reaching consequences. President Trump’s action will likely destabilize the region, may well undermine America’s security, and puts the lives of our troops at great risk. While the situation is evolving quickly, based on the limited information that the Administration has provided, I have deep concerns about President Trump’s decision to go to war.

“Our country should only go to war as a last resort, when all other options to protect our security and freedom have been exhausted. And to sustain and win a war requires an informed and unified public at home as well as strong and healthy international alliances. Rather than ensure that both of these fundamental conditions are met, President Trump has recklessly rushed to war,” Hassan said.