Jeffries reacts to Trump's strikes connected Iran
Washington — Top Democrats successful Congress accidental they're inactive successful the acheronian astir President Trump's determination to bomb 3 atomic sites successful Iran Saturday, adjacent arsenic Iran launched retaliatory strikes Monday.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said Monday day that helium inactive hasn't been briefed by the White House. Jeffries received a little telephone soon earlier Mr. Trump announced the strikes to the nationalist connected Saturday, according to a root acquainted with the call.
Jeffries told reporters the notification was a "courtesy telephone with nary mentation arsenic to the rationale" for the U.S. subject engagement successful Iran and accused the president of perchance misleading the public.
He wants to know, "What is the medication hiding?" And Jeffries added that helium has asked the medication to little legislature leaders and the apical Democrats and Republicans connected the quality committees connected the escalating conflict. "It has yet to occur, and it's not wide to maine what the medication is hiding from the Congress and from the American people."
A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said helium received a akin notification "without immoderate details" earlier the strikes connected Iran.
In a connection Monday aft Iran retaliated, Schumer said he's asked the Trump medication to springiness him a classified briefing connected "the afloat menace picture, the quality down Iran's retaliation, and the details, scope and timeline of immoderate U.S. response."
"The Trump medication should not marque the aforesaid mistake it made this play by launching strikes without giving immoderate details to Congress," Schumer said.
Jeffries besides said helium was not briefed earlier Monday earlier Iran launched missiles toward a U.S. basal successful Qatar.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said helium had received a classified briefing connected the concern Monday morning.
"The retaliation was expected," Johnson told reporters.
The Trump medication is expected to little each House and Senate lawmakers connected Tuesday. On Monday, Mr. Trump announced Israel and Iran person agreed connected a ceasefire, though there's been nary authoritative connection by either state yet.
As Mr. Trump past week weighed whether to usage nonstop subject unit against Iran, a bipartisan contingent of lawmakers demanded that the president question legislature support earlier moving guardant with immoderate action.
Several warfare powers resolutions were introduced successful some chambers earlier Saturday's strikes to forestall the U.S. from becoming progressive successful the warfare betwixt Iran and Israel. The resolutions would necessitate Congress to authorize unit against Iran, preventing the president from taking unilateral action. Lawmakers backing the resolutions person emphasized that lone Congress has the powerfulness to state warfare nether the Constitution.
Following the attacks connected Iran's atomic sites, Reps. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, called connected Congress to reconvene instantly to ballot connected their warfare powers resolution, which has dozens of cosponsors.
House members crossed the governmental spectrum from Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia to Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York person travel retired against a struggle with Iran, indicating that the solution could person wide enactment and pass.
But Johnson indicated Monday that it mightiness not get a vote, telling reporters that it's not the "appropriate time" for a warfare powers resolution.
"For 80 years, presidents of some parties person acted with the aforesaid commander-in-chief authorization nether Article Two," Johnson said. "The president made an valuation that the information was imminent capable to instrumentality his authorization arsenic commandant successful main and marque that decision."
Jeffries, however, said the medication has not presented Congress with immoderate grounds that Iran posed an imminent menace requiring contiguous subject action.
"What was the imminent menace to the United States of America?" Jeffries said. "There's been nary grounds to contiguous an imminent threat."
In the Senate, a akin solution has been introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. Asked astir ballot timing Monday, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said the Senate could ballot "this week."
Jaala Brown, Nikole Killion and Alan He contributed to this report.
Caitlin Yilek is simply a authorities newsman astatine CBSNews.com, based successful Washington, D.C. She antecedently worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a subordinate of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
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