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President Trump addresses US military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities at a press conference, June 21, 2025.<\/span>Carlos Barria\/Pool\/Getty<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n At nearly 8 p.m<\/span> ET <\/span>Saturday, President Donald Trump delivered shocking news that would quickly rouse global angst about the threat of nuclear war. He did so on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cA full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,\u201d he thumbed out on Truth Social about three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites that U.S. military had, apparently, just attacked. \u201cNOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Us lowly civilians across the country weren\u2019t the only ones to learn of the military strike that evening; members of Congress were notified around the same time. In theory, that isn\u2019t how it\u2019s supposed to work: Presidents are expected to consult Congress before deploying armed forces, and\u2014at least in the past\u2014that was Trump\u2019s position too.<\/p>\n In March 2015, when Trump was merely flirting with the idea of launching an aspirational bid for president, he told the New Hampshire Union Leader<\/em> that presidents should \u201calways\u201d get Congressional approval to launch military action.<\/p>\n Reporter: \u201cUnder what circumstances would you think the president should be able to use military force without authorization from Congress?\u201d<\/p>\n Trump: \u201cI think we should always get authorization, and if something is right, you can get authorization and quickly. Whether you\u2019re a Republican or Democrat, they want to see this country survive and do well. And I think you should get authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n His answer at the time reflected Article 1 of the Constitution, which says that Congress\u2014and Congress alone\u2014has the authority to declare war.<\/p>\n But the 1973 War Powers Resolution gives presidents some temporary wiggle room: It stipulates that, in situations where war hasn\u2019t been declared, presidents must still notify Congress within 48 hours of military action, and provide rationale for why, and under which authority, the decision was made. (The resolution also says that military action not pre-authorized by Congress must end within 60 days.)<\/p>\n Many Democrats have expressed concern<\/a> over Trump bombing of Iran\u2019s nuclear sites without consulting\u2014or even properly notifying\u2014Congress. According to the Associated Press,<\/a> lawmakers hadn\u2019t received any new intelligence about Iran\u2019s nuclear program since March, when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said the administration did not believe the country was building a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n \u201cTrump ran on no new wars, but now, mere months into his presidency,\u00a0 he\u2019s ignoring the will of the American people and tempting full escalation without congressional approval,\u201d Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said in a statement to Mother Jones<\/em>. \u201cTo quote Donald Trump: \u2018Whether you\u2019re a Republican or Democrat \u2026 you should get authorization.\u2019 Seems like the Trump Republican Party has forgotten that principle.\u201d<\/p>\n After canceling an earlier briefing, the Trump administration says CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hold a closed-door session with senators on Thursday; House members are slated to receive a similar briefing on Friday.<\/p>\n Like Trump, Rubio has previously boasted about the importance of Congress\u2019 role in decisions on the use of military force. \u201cYou can\u2019t put strategy in legislation, that\u2019s up to the commander-in-chief working with military officials,\u201d Rubio told a journalist in 2015. \u201cWe can certainly have oversight over the strategy, criticize it and not fund it if we think it\u2019s wrong and so forth\u2014but the most important role we play is whether or not to authorize it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n