Congress is urgently seeking more information about President Donald Trump's strikes on Iran — and his long-term strategy in the Middle East — as votes to limit further military action are expected as early as next week, Politico reports.
According to two sources, Trump administration officials will brief staff of key congressional committees on Sunday. The House Intelligence, Armed Services, and Foreign Affairs committees are expected to participate. Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committee staff will also be briefed this weekend, congressional aides said.
Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune also signaled that he expects administration officials to come to Congress to discuss Trump's actions.
"I expect the administration to brief all senators on these military operations," Thune said.
Democrats are demanding more. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that in addition to a closed briefing for all senators, administration officials should testify publicly before congressional committees. "The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critically important details regarding the scope and urgency of the threat," Schumer added.
The rush to brief a broader group of lawmakers comes as bipartisan coalitions in both the House and Senate plan to bring to a vote next week measures limiting Trump's ability to take further military action against Iran without congressional approval. A Senate vote is expected as early as Tuesday, with a House vote on Wednesday or Thursday.
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY), a frequent Trump critic and one of the initiators of the war powers vote in the House, called the strikes "acts of war unauthorized by Congress."
Otherwise, reactions to the strikes have largely fallen along party lines. One of the first Democrats to respond, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), condemned the attack on social media, writing that "we can support the democratic movement and the Iranian people without sending our troops to die."
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Saturday that Trump's overnight military strikes on Iran's top leadership represented "an extraordinarily consequential decision that risks dragging the United States into yet another major conflict in the Middle East."
Representative Jim Himes (D-CT), the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, called Trump's actions "a war of choice with no strategic end plan" and said he would support a war powers resolution when it comes to a vote next week.
Congressional Republicans, including leadership and chairs of key committees, quickly backed the joint US-Israel operation. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford said Trump had "given Iran ample opportunity to choose a diplomatic path." Senator John Barrasso, the second-ranking Republican in the Senate, called the actions "peace through strength."

















