Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) defended congressional efforts to curb President Donald Trump’s ongoing war with Iran during an interview with Ali Velshi on MS NOW, stating that the conflict was launched without the constitutional authorization required from Congress.
Khanna, who serves on the House Armed Services and Oversight committees, helped lead a bipartisan push with Congressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) to pass a War Powers Resolution aimed at limiting the president’s authority to continue the military action without congressional approval.
The measure ultimately failed in the House by a 212–219 vote. Nearly all Democrats supported the resolution, though four members of the party broke ranks and joined Republicans in opposing it.
Khanna said the vote was about defending Congress’s constitutional role in decisions of war and peace. Under Article I of the Constitution, he noted, the president must seek authorization from lawmakers before committing the country to a major conflict.
“All Democrats but four stood together to affirm Article I,” Khanna said, warning that the war could cost billions of dollars per day and risk American lives without public or congressional backing.
During the interview, Khanna sharply criticized comments made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about past military strategies. Khanna said he was “offended” by Hegseth’s suggestion that certain restraints on warfare amounted to “politically correct” approaches to combat.
Khanna stated that dismissing concerns about civilian casualties risks normalizing unnecessary harm during military operations. He referenced the recent military strike on an Iranian school that killed a large number of civilians, including schoolchildren.
“I believe that an Iranian life has as much dignity as an American life,” Khanna said, adding that protecting civilian lives reflects both moral principles and the values embedded in the country’s founding ideals.
Khanna On Trump’s War With Iran: ‘This Is The Most Egregious Foreign Policy Blunder Since The Iraq War’
Velshi questioned the broader rationale for the conflict, asking why the United States had gone to war with Iran and whether the administration had presented a clear explanation to the American public.
Khanna responded that the administration had offered shifting justifications, initially framing the conflict as an effort to bring about regime change before later acknowledging that such an outcome might not be achievable.
He also criticized the administration for failing to demonstrate that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States, stating that the war itself increases risks to Americans.
According to Khanna, Trump has acknowledged that retaliation from Iran could potentially occur within the United States—a warning the congressman said underscores the dangers created by the conflict.
Khanna described the military campaign as one of the most serious foreign policy mistakes in recent decades, comparing it to the decision to invade Iraq. He predicted that public opposition to the war would continue to grow as its costs and consequences become clearer.
“The American people are waking up to that,” Khanna said, adding that Democrats broadly oppose what he described as another “endless war” and would prefer to see national resources directed toward domestic priorities such as education, healthcare, and job creation.
