Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) delivered a blistering condemnation of President Donald Trump’s ongoing military conflict with Iran, calling it a “war of choice” launched without congressional authorization, a clear endgame, or the consent of the American people.
Speaking on the Senate floor Monday, Schumer began by mourning the four U.S. service members killed in action over the weekend and offering prayers for their families, as well as for Americans with loved ones deployed across the Middle East. He also acknowledged the suffering of civilians in the region, including Iranian Americans fearful for relatives abroad.
Schumer made clear he would not defend Iran’s slain supreme leader, describing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a longtime sponsor of terrorism responsible for immense suffering. But he argued that personal views of the regime do not justify plunging the United States into a full-scale conflict.
“We stand at a dangerous moment,” Schumer warned, lambasting Trump for launching “Operation Epic Fury” without presenting a plan to Congress or to the public. The consequences, he said, are already evident: American casualties, wounded troops, and the likelihood of further losses.
Schumer Calls For War Powers Vote To Assert Congressional Authority, Limit Trump’s Abuse Of Power
The Democratic leader framed the conflict as unnecessary and disconnected from voters’ priorities. Americans, he argued, are more concerned about rising costs, healthcare affordability, housing, and wages than another military engagement in the Middle East. A new war, he said, risks billions in taxpayer spending and higher energy prices at home.
Schumer rejected the idea that the conflict was forced upon the United States, instead labeling it a discretionary escalation. He said voters across the political spectrum are weary of “endless wars” and did not elect Trump to open another front abroad. The president, Schumer pointed out, campaigned on ending prolonged conflicts but has instead expanded U.S. military involvement from Venezuela to Somalia and now Iran.
To counter what he called unchecked executive belligerence, Schumer announced that the Senate will soon vote on a bipartisan War Powers Resolution co-led with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Rand Paul (R-KY). The measure would require explicit congressional approval for continued hostilities in Iran, reinforcing Congress’ constitutional authority to declare war.
“When our resolution comes to the floor, senators need to pick a side,” Schumer said, framing the vote as a test of whether lawmakers will stand with a war-weary public or with a president who has acted unilaterally in his misdeeds involving the military.
Schumer closed by warning that Americans are watching closely. In his telling, the debate over Trump’s military conflict with Iran is not only about foreign policy, but about constitutional limits, fiscal priorities, and whether the country will again find itself mired in another open-ended Middle East conflict.
