U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4th District, learned about the U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran in the same way as many of the public did — through social media.
As the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, he said he thought that would warrant some kind of advance notice. Himes is part of the "Gang of Eight," a group of Senate and House leaders plus relevant committee heads in both parties who get briefed on intelligence matters by the administration.
The top leaders were notified ahead of time, with varying levels of detail. Intelligence Committee staff received a classified briefing on Sunday, the day after the strike.
"I learned about the strike last tonight on Twitter," Himes told CNN on Sunday. "As a member of the Gang of Eight, you might think for something this consequential, we would be informed of any change in intelligence."
"Let’s not lose sight of the fact that an offensive attack against a foreign nation is something that the Constitution reserves to the Congress of the United States," he added.
Himes and Connecticut's congressional delegation hope to get more answers this week as they returned to Washington Monday following the U.S. strikes, Iran's retaliatory response and the latest news of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Congress will get briefed by the Trump administration Tuesday afternoon from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
And as the state's delegation questions the constitutionality of the attacks, some members are proposing war powers resolutions to block U.S. involvement in the conflict between Iran and Israel. The Constitution grants the legislative branch the ability to "declare war." The War Powers Act of 1973 requires a president to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action if there is no declaration of war.
Himes, along with U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Adam Smith, D-Wash., are expected to introduce their own version later Monday, an aide familiar with the effort confirmed. The details and text of the resolution were not immediately available.
That is on top of the resolution that's already been introduced by a bipartisan pair of lawmakers to "to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran." It is a concurrent resolution, which doesn't require the signature of a president and is not usually considered binding.
The Senate has its own version that U.S. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said could come up for a vote later this week, according to Politico. U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., had urged GOP leadership to bring it up for an immediate vote.
Once the Himes resolution is formally introduced, a floor vote in the House is required within 15 days. But under House rules, that doesn't count pro forma session days that happen during a recess, and Congress will be off for a week for the July 4 holiday. That would push the 15-day window farther into July.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., poured cold water on war powers resolutions, saying that it "is not a time for politics." He argued Democrats haven't taken umbrage to past Democratic administrations who have taken unilateral military actions in certain circumstances. And he pointed to presidents in both parties who have relied on Article II as giving them that authority.
Since President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire over social media, U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., indicated that the bipartisan resolution he introduced "might not be necessary," according to D.C.-based publication Punchbowl News.
"I don’t think this is an appropriate time for a war powers resolution, and I don’t think it’s necessary," Johnson told reporters Monday. "President Obama went on an eight-month campaign bombing Libya to take down the regime there. I never heard a Democrat balk about any of that. And suddenly now, they’re just up in arms. It’s all politics. This is not a time for politics."
Tuesday will be the first time all of Congress can get more clarity on what led to U.S. involvement in the Middle East conflict and the bombing of three nuclear facilities. And Connecticut's members want to know if anything changed from March when Gabbard testified that the U.S. intelligence community "continues to assess that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized the nuclear weapons program he suspended in 2003."
"I had not seen any intelligence as a member of the Gang of Eight to suggest that Iran had taken the decision to build a weapon," Himes said on CNN. "I don’t think there’s any intelligence out there that suggests that that’s true."
U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, said he wants to get more insight into the damage assessment and what officials are doing in terms of "risk mitigation" for U.S. forces in the region. His comments on Monday came before news of Iran's retaliatory strike on a U.S. Air Force base in Qatar — which was intercepted by Qatari air defenses — and Trump's announcement of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
"It certainly appeared that the decision was made by a pretty small group of people. Given what our country has been through, I think it definitely deserved a lot more time and deliberation," Courtney said in an interview. "The thing about the constitutional question of getting authorization, honestly, I think is that aside from the constitutional balance of powers, check and balances, it also really allows for more analysis and voices to be heard."
Courtney, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said in the week leading up to the strike when Trump was weighing whether to get involved, the calls to his office were "starting to pick up speed" with concerns over a escalating conflict that could mirror wars in Iraq and Afghanistan where the U.S. was involved for decades.
"I think the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan is really a burning memory for people," Courtney said earlier Monday. "I think that the appetite for going back into the Middle East with an active military posture is not something that people are supporting, by any stretch."
The Connecticut Mirror/Connecticut Public Radio federal policy reporter position is made possible, in part, by funding from the Robert and Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation.
This story was originally published by the Connecticut Mirror.
