Schumer and Jeffries Face Backlash Over Iran War Response

Both leaders faulted Trump for not seeking Congress’s approval and for failing to adequately brief lawmakers. Neither issued an unequivocal condemnation of the US-Israeli assault, which the article says has killed hundreds of people, including dozens of children.

Schumer, a New York Democrat who opposed the 2015 nuclear deal later abandoned by Trump, said he had urged Secretary of State Marco Rubio to explain the strikes’ objectives and what would follow. He added that Iran must not obtain a nuclear weapon, but said Americans do not want another costly, endless Middle East war.

Jeffries said Iran should be confronted over human rights violations, its nuclear ambitions, support for terrorism and threats to Israel and Jordan. He demanded that the Trump administration justify the attack, define its national security objective and explain how it would avoid a prolonged conflict.

Those comments prompted sharp rebukes. Commentator Krystal Ball called the leaders’ statements “disgusting and cowardly,” arguing that the war itself should be opposed. New York state Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who is running for Congress, said their focus on process “only serves Trump and the war machine” and urged Democrats to unite behind “no war.”

Schumer and Jeffries said they would swiftly seek votes on War Powers resolutions. But reporting last week by Aída Chávez of Capital & Empire said senior Democrats had worked behind the scenes to slow the measures, which did not reach a vote before the attack. Chávez quoted a senior foreign policy aide to Schumer as saying some AIPAC-aligned Senate Democrats preferred Trump to act unilaterally, weakening Iran while taking the domestic political backlash before the midterms. Neither leader backed legislation last year intended to forestall US military intervention in Iran.

Other Democrats condemned the strikes more directly. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called the war unlawful, unnecessary and potentially catastrophic, warning that Americans had been drawn into a conflict they did not want. Rep. Rashida Tlaib called on Congress to reconvene and use its war powers to stop the fighting, while arguing that politicians from both parties supported the war.