President Donald Trump’s decision Saturday to have U.S. forces join Israel’s military campaign against Iran by conducting bombing strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites drew conflicting responses from Michigan’s congressional delegation.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, denounced the attack on Iran, while four Republican lawmakers voiced their support for the strategy.

U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, a Bruce Township Republican who is part of the House Republican leadership, said Trump was delivering “peace through strength,” one of the slogans the Republican president used on the campaign trail in 2024.

“Today’s successful mission destroyed Iran’s nuclear capabilities, protected American lives, and will make the world safer,” McClain said in a post on social media. “Now, it’s time for peace. God bless America and our warfighters.”

But Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, denounced the Republican president’s decision to intervene in the Israel-Iran conflict.

“The American people do not want another forever war,” Tlaib said in a statement. “We have seen where decades of endless war in the Middle East gets us — all based on the lie of ‘weapons of mass destruction.’

“We are not falling for it again.”

The congresswoman was referring to President George W. Bush’s stated reason for the 2003 U.S.-Iraq war — eliminating Iraq’s nuclear weapons. Despite intelligence reports saying the weapons existed, the U.S. military failed to find any weapons and the war dragged on for nine years before U.S. forces withdrew in 2011.

During the 2024 campaign in Michigan, Trump repeatedly criticized Democratic then-President Joe Biden’s handling of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. At an event in Detroit in October, Trump vowed that he would “stop the chaos” in the Middle East.

More: These 400 promises Trump made in Michigan now loom over his 2nd term

On Saturday night, Trump announced in a post on Truth Social that U.S. forces had completed what he described as a “very successful attack” on nuclear sites in Iran, joining Israel’s ongoing fight against Iran.

“All planes are safely on their way home,” Trump wrote. “Congratulations to our great American warriors. There is not another military in the world that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE!”

Trump also addressed the country in a Saturday 10 p.m. televised speech. He warned Iran that “there are many targets left” if the country decides to retaliate against U.S. targets.

Michigan’s senior delegation member, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, backed Trump’s action.

“Tonight, President @realDonaldTrump displayed decisive action to eliminate the nuclear program of the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism,” Walberg said. “President Trump pursued and exhausted diplomatic options, and to protect the security of our nation, this moment called for strong leadership.”

Likewise, U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Caledonia, said a nuclear Iran posed a threat to the U.S.

“His decision to strike Iran is necessary to keep our nation and our allies safe and ensure the number one sponsor of terrorism does not develop nuclear weapons,” Moolenaar said.

But U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, called Trump’s decision to use military force without congressional authorization unconstitutional and said it escalates the risk of war.

“It’s critical we keep American troops and civilians safe and prevent the U.S. from becoming entangled in another endless war in the Middle East,” Dingell said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Holland, praised Trump for taking decisive action.

“We must ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and usher in a new age of nuclear terrorism,” Huizenga wrote in a post on X. “I commend the men and women of our Armed Forces for their performance in this operation to make the world a safer place. It is now time for Iran to come to the table and abandon its nuclear ambitions.”

But state Rep. Josh Schriver, R-Oxford, denounced the move by Trump:

“America is (officially) at war (again) on the other side of the world,” Schriver wrote on X. “This is not in the best interest of my constituents, our youth, nor the people of Michigan as a whole. WWJD #NoWar #Peace #BringOurTroopsHome”

U.S Rep. Tom Barrett, a Republican from Charlotte and an Iraq war veteran, struck a more neutral tone. Barrett ran two campaigns for Congress, blasting the United States involvement in “endless wars” in the Middle East.

“I anticipate a full briefing of our military strike in Iran immediately upon my return to Washington,” Barrett wrote on X. “Tonight, I am praying for wisdom in our decisions, President Trump and his team, and the safety of our troops. God bless the United States of America.”

GOP Rep. Jack Bergman, a Vietnam War veteran and retired Marine Corps aviator, said Saturday’s bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities showcased “truly impressive precision.” The Republican congressman from the Upper Peninsula dismissed the idea of Trump starting another “endless war.””President Trump has long made it clear: Iran must never possess a nuclear weapon — and the American people overwhelmingly agree. The President gave Iran’s leader an opportunity to make a deal, but Iran refused to commit to a nuclear disarmament agreement,” Bergman said in a statement.”By leveraging the unmatched precision of the U.S. military, the President has sent a clear message to the world about what peace through strength truly means. This was not a knee-jerk response, and knowing President Trump, he has no interest in dragging America into another endless war.”

U.S. Rep. John James, a Republican from Shelby Township who also served in Iraq, said in a post on X that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. James, who is running for governor, applauded Trump’s move.

“President Trump is the first president in my lifetime who’s actually willing to use peace through strength, who’s actually willing to put his money where his mouth is to actually support nuclear non-proliferation and making sure that a nuclear Iran is never a thing,” James said in a video late Saturday. 

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor, an Egyptian-American, said Trump was disregarding the Constitution by not seeking the approval of Congress to get involved in the fight.

“I’m praying that this does not escalate,” El-Sayed said in a social media post. “And I’m calling on all Americans of good conscience, especially those in Congress, to condemn this and stand up to the warmongering we’re bound to hear over the next few days.”

Former U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican from Cascade Township, warned that Trump’s actions have put all Americans at risk, especially U.S. troops. He stressed that only Congress has the authority under the Constitution to take the country to war.

“We don’t know if or how this war will escalate, but we do know that we have arrogant, reckless, and shameful leaders in the White House and Congress,” Amash wrote on social media. “They — like many of the officials who came before them — have worked to subvert the system that built the freest, most prosperous country the world has ever known.”

Former U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Grand Rapids Township who served in the Army Reserves in Iraq, contended in posts on social media that Trump “likely” had authority for the strikes on Iran without signoff from Congress. 

“I’m a strong believer that Congress must reclaim war powers (see: most of my legislative initiatives in 117th Congress) but under current statute/interpretation President Trump likely has the authority to conduct tonight’s strikes,” Meijer wrote on X. 

The president’s “hard ball” strike on the Iranian sites comes after several days of Israeli attacks on Iran that put the country in a precarious position from a weapons and human capital standpoint, said Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Ali has worked in a variety of national security and counterterrorism roles over the past 20 years, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he spent time on the National Security Council during Trump’s first term.

“It looks like they landed on what I’ve been calling either the narrow option or something between narrow and medium,” Ali said of Trump’s actions Saturday. “It’s not a broad campaign. It seems, at least right now, limited to the three facilities.”

The U.S.’s continued involvement or the escalation of events in Iran is dependent on how the country responds going forward, Ali said. But he emphasized that Israel’s attacks over the past several days and the U.S. strikes Saturday are bound to have taken their toll on Iran’s ability to retaliate.

“Perhaps the last thing you want to do is retaliate in a way that draws the U.S. further into this conflict,” Ali said. “Because whatever happened in the last few hours is just scratching the surface of what it can do.

“Iran will retaliate, I think,” Ali added. “But I don’t think they’re going to do something so bold and audacious. There’s no way for them to do something proportional.”

cmauger@detroitnews.com

mburke@detroitnews.com

eleblanc@detroitnews.com