Asian American Dems condemn Trump’s Iran strikes

Former Vice President Kamala Harris and several Asian American lawmakers have condemned President Donald Trump’s military strikes on Iran under Operation Epic Fury. The campaign began Feb. 28 and marked the start of a new U.S. military operation targeting Iranian ballistic missile and naval infrastructure.

Critics argue the strikes violate Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which grants Congress the authority to declare war.

In a statement posted on X immediately after the strikes, Harris warned the conflict could expand into a broader regime-change campaign against Iran. “Donald Trump is dragging the United States into a war the American people do not want,” she said. “Let me be clear: I am opposed to a regime-change war in Iran, and our troops are being put in harm’s way for the sake of Trump’s war of choice.”

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA, 17) argued that the decision violates the Constitution’s separation of powers. “Trump has launched an illegal regime change war in Iran with American lives at risk,” Khanna wrote on X. Khanna later led a bipartisan effort with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY, 4) to block the operation under the War Powers Resolution, which would have required congressional authorization for continued U.S. military involvement. The measure was narrowly defeated in the House in a 212–219 vote, following a similar failure in the Senate 47–53 the day prior.

Meanwhile, Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA, 28) blasted the administration’s justification for the strikes. “President Trump has launched an unlawful war with Iran despite no imminent threat to the United States, no long-term strategy, no support from the American public and no authorization from Congress,” Chu said in a statement. “The Iranian regime is brutal, repressive and has denied Iranians freedom and dignity for generations. These facts alone do not give President Trump the authority to unilaterally launch a major, pre-emptive military operation which puts so many lives at risk.”

Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ, 3), a former national security official who served in Afghanistan, also argued the decision to launch the strikes should have been debated by Congress and the American public. “Let’s be clear, Donald Trump chose this war – but it was not his choice to make,” Kim said in remarks on the Senate floor. “It is the American people who deserve to have a say… We are here to speak on behalf of the American people because the Trump Administration hasn’t been listening to them.”

The Trump administration and its allies have defended the strikes as necessary to neutralize Iranian military capabilities and prevent a broader conflict.

In a social media post, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended the president’s handling of the crisis in a social media post following the strikes. “Never before has a President been so LOCKED TF IN and FOCUSED,” Cheung wrote on X. “First, a historic State of the Union inspiring a nation. Second, military action to protect the U.S. by ending one of our greatest threats, the Iranian Regime, is stuff of legend.” He also said the president had been closely overseeing the operation and dismissed criticism of the administration’s messaging.

The operation has placed a spotlight on Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who previously warned against war with Iran during her 2020 presidential campaign. At the time, she said an “all-out war with Iran would make the wars that we’ve seen in Iraq and Afghanistan look like a picnic.” Gabbard has not publicly criticized the current strikes, while administration officials have cited intelligence from her office to support their claim that the operation was a necessary preemptive action.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA, 36) criticized the administration’s preparedness for evacuating Americans from the Middle East as the conflict escalates. “The Trump Administration has totally failed at planning how they were going to keep Americans caught in this conflict safe and get them out of harm’s way,” Lieu said. “The State Department has a responsibility to help Americans get home but has so far come up short, leaving United States citizens to fend for themselves.”
Lieu and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY, 6) led a letter signed by 61 members of Congress urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to help Americans leave the region, where commercial flights have been cancelled and some airports remain closed. “So many Americans want to desperately return home from the Middle East but are unable to do so,” Meng said. “The State Department needs to step up and help them… now must immediately come up with a plan to evacuate these stranded Americans.”