Maine’s elected officials reacted Sunday to President Donald Trump’s announcement that U.S. forces launched strikes on three nuclear sites in Iran.
U.S. Sen. Angus King
“The president has taken a profoundly important — and potentially dangerous — step in ordering the bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities and thus risking U.S. involvement in another debilitating war in the Middle East.
Over the next several weeks we will be in a better position to determine the results of this attack, both in terms of Iran’s response and the actual impact of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear capacity.
Beyond the risks entailed by the president’s decision, however, are questions surrounding the manner in which the decision was made — entirely unilaterally without consultation with our allies (except Israel), or Congress. Our Constitution explicitly places the responsibility to “declare war” on Congress for a very good reason, to avoid the danger inherent in placing that awesome power in the hands of one person.
Clearly, the president must have the power to act in national self-defense or when faced with an imminent threat to our national interest, but respect for the Constitution and the common sense policy it embodies should require some level of consultation with Congress if at all possible.
In this case, there was a process available on virtually a moment’s notice, albeit short of full Congressional action on a declaration of war or authorization of the use of military force. This process, well established in urgent circumstances, is to notify congressional leadership and the leadership of the national security committees.
In this way, the president would have the opportunity to present to the peoples’ representatives the intelligence basis for the decision, the pros and cons of the proposed action, and the means to be employed.
Although not a veto, this process would ensure that the appropriate questions would be raised and the president would hear points of view not necessarily aligned with his own close advisors.
The results of these strikes may turn out to be successful — the end of Iran’s nuclear program and its aggression in the region — but the risks are no less real — that Iran may have nuclear facilities we don’t know about and conclude that they have no choice but to race to a bomb.
But with either result, the question remains whether this decision was made in such a way as to protect our country while at the same time minimizing the risk of a war no one wants.”
U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree
“The president’s decision to bomb Iran without the authorization of Congress is reckless, unconstitutional, and puts countless lives at risk — including U.S. troops currently stationed in the Middle East.
No president has the authority to launch a military attack against any country without Congressional authorization — especially when there’s no imminent threat to the American people. This is unconstitutional.
It is imperative that Congress convene as soon as possible to address this crisis, to vote on the bipartisan War Powers Act introduced last week, and to make clear to the president that the United States must not be dragged into another war in the Middle East.”
