Democrats outraged as Trump resumes Iran war, attempts to bypass Congress

Democrats in Congress are voicing strong opposition after President Trump formally notified lawmakers last week that the war in Iran has resumed. The administration is attempting to legally claim that a new 60-day period has begun, granting the president authority to conduct military operations in Iran without congressional approval.

Lawmakers accused the Trump administration of reneging on its earlier assurances that the conflict had ended.

"We were promised the war would be over for months. And now in a matter of days, we've gone from a bad U.S.-Iran deal to more strikes, another blockade, and added turmoil that will only drive prices higher."

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— Senator Adam Schiff, via X

Senator Schiff filed a new war powers resolution on Monday, co-sponsored by Senators Tim Kaine, Andy Kim, Jeff Merkley, and Chris Van Hollen, in an effort to limit the president's authority.

"Any assertion by the Trump Administration that he gets 60 more days to act without Congress has no foundation in law."

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— Senator Adam Schiff, in a statement calling for a "new vote to end this war."

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the administration's approach on the Senate floor Monday:

"Trump's rinse and repeat approach to the Iran war isn't a strategy, it's a recipe for utter disaster. We keep moving backward. Gas prices stay high, casualties increase, costs increase. It's incredible what a fiasco this war is."

Senator Chris Murphy highlighted the economic consequences of the resumption:

"Gas prices are spiking again. The bottom line? Trump has no moves to make. His spiraling incompetence has boxed America in. It's only going to get worse."

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— Senator Chris Murphy, via X

Background

Last month, Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding that appeared to end the conflict while long-term negotiations continued. However, those negotiations have since collapsed. Iran has resumed attacks on American and oil industry targets in the Persian Gulf, while the U.S. military has resumed bombing targets within Iran. Iran has also reinstated tolls in the Strait of Hormuz, and Trump has declared the U.S. naval blockade of Iran is back in effect.

By attempting to reset the 60-day clock, critics argue, Trump is acknowledging — consciously or not — that he is also resetting a quagmire.

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House Speaker Johnson Faces Questions on Fatal ICE Shooting

House Speaker Mike Johnson, known for professing ignorance when asked difficult questions about current events, employed the same strategy during a Tuesday morning press conference. The topic was the fatal ICE shooting in Biddeford, Maine, that occurred the previous day.

On Monday, Joan Sebastian Guerrero, a 26-year-old father, was killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. This marks the eleventh fatal ICE shooting of Donald Trump's current term. Guerrero was reportedly authorized to work in the United States and had not been the target of an immigration operation.

The agents involved in the incident were reportedly not wearing body cameras. As Benjamin Weiss of Courthouse News pointed out to Johnson, this contradicts assurances previously made by Department of Homeland Security officials. Following two fatal shootings of American citizens in Minneapolis earlier this year, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the department would "rapidly acquire and deploy" body cameras to its officers nationwide.