Top United States lawmakers have strongly condemned President Donald Trump for authorizing military strikes on Iran alongside Israel, accusing him of acting unconstitutionally by bypassing Congress.
Senator Bernie Sanders described the attacks as “illegal, premeditated and unconstitutional,” arguing that Trump collaborated with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to draw the U.S. into a new conflict in the Middle East. “The U.S. Constitution is clear. It is Congress that declares war, not a president acting unilaterally,” Sanders said, urging the Senate to reconvene and vote on a pending War Powers Resolution.
Senator Tammy Baldwin echoed the criticism, emphasizing that launching attacks without congressional approval endangers American troops and mirrors past military failures in Iraq and Afghanistan. “My whole career, I have believed diplomacy is the answer, not war,” Baldwin said, calling the strikes “senseless and illegal” and highlighting the president’s broken promises to avoid new foreign wars.
Meanwhile, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, Mayor of New York City, described the strikes as a “catastrophic escalation in an illegal war of aggression” and warned that civilian casualties could provoke a wider regional crisis. He assured the city’s Iranian community of their safety and coordinated with local authorities to boost security in sensitive areas.
Lawmakers and officials stressed that Americans are primarily concerned with domestic issues like jobs, healthcare, and education rather than another overseas military engagement. Critics warn that unilateral military action risks repeating historical mistakes while undermining constitutional limits on executive power.