Senate Dems fracture as Trump considers Iran strike
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Sens. Bernie Sanders, Chuck Schumer and Chris Murphy at the US Capitol in Washington on March 6. Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A small group of Senate Democrats is scrambling to keep President Trump from unilaterally involving the U.S. in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran.
Why it matters: The caucus is fractured over the quickly unfolding situation, with just a handful blaring the alarm while the party's leadership — at least for now — watches and waits,
- Just a few Senate Democrats have publicly backed Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) resolution to reassert Congress' authority over war powers.
- Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer(D-N.Y.) decided against sponsoring a separate bill that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) introduced this week barring funding for military force against Iran. Schumer sponsored the same legislation in 2020.
- And in the 18-plus hours since Trump posted that everyone should evacuate Tehran, Schumer has not made a public statement on the conflict.
The big picture: Israel's attack on Iran last week exposed longstanding Democratic fault lines that are only deepening.
- Some Senate Democrats, like Sanders and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), slammed Israel's action as "reckless."
- But others, like Schumer and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), were less critical, affirming first and foremost Israel's right to defend itself and arguing Iran can never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
- Almost every Democrat, including Schumer and Rosen, has said publicly that a diplomatic solution should be the goal.
Between the lines: Behind the scenes, Schumer's position of staying off the Sanders resolution reflects the majority sentiment of the Democratic caucus.
- Many Democrats see the situation in a markedly different light than in 2020, when, they argue, Iran wasn't actively targeting Israel and threatening U.S. military bases. And members have stressed the need to maintain flexibility over military operations.
- Schumer has been in consultations with members on the unfolding situation, sources tell Axios.
- Just seven Democrats have signed on to Sanders' proposal.
Yes, but: The power to declare war rests solely with Congress, and Kaine and others want to assert that authority.
- "The President does not have the authority to make this decision. There is no imminent threat to America from Iran," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) posted on X on Monday. "He cannot take this action without congressional authorization."
- "The administration needs to come to Congress immediately for a classified briefing on their strategy rather than tweeting our servicemembers in the Middle East into graver danger," Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) also posted on X.
And on the other side of the Capitol, a bipartisan coalition is starting to form around forcing a vote on authorizing military force in the conflict.
