Tuberville backs Trump on Iran strikes
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U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville called the annual update in Huntsville "one of my highlights of the year." Photo: Derek Lacey/Axios
As President Trump threatens to escalate bombings in Iran, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville says further action there or elsewhere doesn't need to come before Congress, pointing to provisions of the War Powers Resolution and Congress's power of the purse.
Why it matters: Foreign policy is local for Huntsville, an epicenter of missile defense and other capabilities on the forefront of the conflict in Iran.
- As Tuberville said Monday at the Von Braun Center, "Many in this room ... are going to continue to play supporting roles in the defensive efforts."
What they're saying: Speaking at the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce Washington Update, Tuberville said he doesn't support endless wars, but "these deranged terrorists, they cannot be allowed to have nuclear weapons, because they're evil."
- "I'm 100% behind President Trump. I'm MAGA, and I'm [America first]," he said. "But being MAGA isn't about being an isolationist. ... It's about using the big stick, as Teddy Roosevelt once said, and punishing people who chant, 'Death to America.'"
Zoom in: Tuberville, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said Trump "took out nuclear facilities last year, but they were building as fast as they could."
- Referencing classified hearings, he said, "These people are all in on trying to make something they say they're not going to use."
Catch up quick: Tuberville, along with every Republican in the Senate other than Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted down a measure that would have restricted Trump from taking further military actions in Iran.
- Asked by Axios whether Trump ought to seek congressional approval for further strikes in Iran or elsewhere, Tuberville said no, pointing instead to funding decisions and a 60-day "grace period."
How it works: The War Powers Resolution says the president must terminate military action after 60 days unless Congress has declared war, authorized the specific action or extended the period.
- "Funding is going to have to come from Congress," Tuberville said. "Whoever is against it, or whoever's for it, will have the opportunity to make a decision if they want to fund the war or not fund the war."
Zoom out: Answering other questions from the press following his remarks, Tuberville said, "It's anybody's guess how long this is going to last," but "I'd love for it to be a short period of time."
- During his remarks earlier, he lauded the success of Operation Epic Fury and said, "A lot of it was because of Huntsville, Alabama."
Redstone ramifications
Tuberville credited Trump for U.S. Space Command and FBI relocations to Redstone Arsenal, saying, "We have to thank him a lot for what's going on."
- The SPACECOM move will bring thousands of good-paying jobs to Alabama, he said, noting the increasing importance of the command in Iran.
- He said FBI Director Kash Patel told him, "We need at least 600 more" personnel at Redstone Arsenal, after the Bureau's initial move of 500 employees early last year.
Tuberville said NASA's recent changes to Artemis mission plans, including adding a Moon landing mission, are "dramatically going to increase the need for [Space Launch System] production," which is managed in Huntsville.
Defense spending surge
Trump wants a $1.5 trillion defense budget this year, Tuberville said, "so a lot of that money will come to and move through this city right here."
- He also said officials are preparing to open a 2.2-million-square-foot former rail facility in Muscle Shoals as a manufacturing site for submarine components.