President Donald Trump’s decision to order U.S. airstrikes on three nuclear sites in Iran June 21 brought immediate questions from some lawmakers on both sides of the aisle about whether he had acted within his authority.
Under Trump’s direction, the U.S. effectively joins a 10-day-old war initiated when Israel began bombing Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure. The president has said repeatedly that he did not want to get involved in conflict in the Middle East but that “Iran can’t have a nuclear weapon.”
Some lawmakers, including staunch conservatives and prominent progressives, are calling the move a breach of the Constitution.
“The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, posted on X.
The Constitution puts the power to declare war in Congress’ hands, and the War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action. The law also limits the deployment of armed forces beyond 90 days in the absence of a formal declaration of war.
Asked at a Pentagon news conference early June 22 when Congress was made aware of the strikes, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said: “They were notified after the planes were safely out. But we complied with the notification requirements of the War Powers Act.”
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky, responded to Trump’s social media assessment of the attack with the statement “This is not Constitutional.”
Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California filed a measure June 17 that is based on the War Powers Act and seeks to block “unauthorized hostilities” in Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation alongside U.S. Vice President JD Vance, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S. June 21, 2025, following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/Pool
“Stopping Iran from having a nuclear bomb is a top priority, but dragging the U.S. into another Middle East war is not the solution,” Khanna said in a statement. “Trump’s strikes are unconstitutional and put Americans, especially our troops, at risk.”
Some of Trump’s strongest supporters also have cautioned against conflict abroad.
“Every time America is on the verge of greatness, we get involved in another foreign war,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote in a post shortly before the U.S. bombings.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard
(This story has been updated to fix typos)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: War Powers Act explained; lawmakers push back on Trump
