WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS
Some Democratic and Republican congressmen on Sunday urged Congress to place limits on President Donald Trump's use of military force against Iran and prevent the US from becoming embroiled in a deepening conflict in the Middle East.
With Republican leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives strongly supporting US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities, it is unlikely that any resolution will pass that would clearly state Congress's authority to declare war and limit Trump's actions.
Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia said he intends to force a Senate vote this week on his bill that would require Trump to cease hostilities against Iran unless Congress specifically authorizes war. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California have also called for a vote on similar legislation they have introduced in the House of Representatives.
“This is the United States going to war at Trump’s behest, without a clear national interest in our security, and without any debate or vote in Congress,” Kaine told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the congressman’s criticism.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune were briefed on the military action, according to sources familiar with the matter. Members of Congress are expected to receive a detailed briefing on Tuesday.
John Thune’s office declined to comment on Kaine’s bill.
The attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday have divided Trump’s MAGA movement, with some leaders siding with the president while others have called for an end to hostilities after the U.S. was embroiled in so-called “forever wars” in Iraq and Afghanistan since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
“I represent part of the coalition that elected President Trump. We were tired of endless wars,” Massey told CBS. “We were promised that we would put veterans, immigration policies and infrastructure first.”
Both Massey and Kaine stressed that there was no urgency that would require Trump to act on his own initiative.
“There was no immediate threat to the United States,” Massey said. “We were not briefed.”
Intelligence reports and analyses differ in their assessments of how close Iran was to building a nuclear bomb. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said Friday that the United States has information that Iran, if it chose to, could build a nuclear weapon within weeks or months. U.S. officials say they do not believe Iran has made a decision to build a bomb.
Iran says its nuclear goals are peaceful, focused on energy production and medical research. But the program, which began in the late 1950s with U.S. support, has been under scrutiny in recent years, as Tehran has increased its uranium enrichment level to 60 percent, close to the military-grade 90 percent, and has restricted access to its sites by international inspectors. On Sunday, Trump pledged his support for his main challenger, Thomas Massey, in the 2026 election, arguing that Massey's criticism of the Iran strike and opposition to his legislative initiatives show he is out of touch with the party's new base. "MAGA is not for lazy, grandiose, and unproductive politicians, which Thomas Massey definitely is," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
