Sen. Tim Kaine on “Trump’s Illegal War with Iran”: “These strikes are a colossal mistake”

See below for reactions (starting early this morning with Sen. Tim Kaine’s and Sen. Mark Warner’s) to Trump’s unauthorized, ergo illegal, military attack against Iran. I’ll add others as they come in. I’d just note, for anyone who actually argued going back to 2016 that Trump was some sort of a “dove” while Hillary Clinton was some sort of “hawk,” that obviously Trump has no problem using violence/lethal force – whether against other countries or even against U.S. citizens. And yes, that should have been glaringly obvious in 2016, 2020, and 2024. Also, note that if we’d elected Hillary Clinton president in 2016, she would NOT have torn up the Iran nuclear agreement; and if we’d elected Kamala Harris in 2024, she would NOT have started a war with Iran.  So…no, the two parties are NOT the same. And yes, elections really do have conseequences, including life-or-death ones.

KAINE STATEMENT ON TRUMP’S ILLEGAL WAR WITH IRAN

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement regarding the United States’ preemptive attack on Iran:

“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East? Is he too mentally incapacitated to realize that we had a diplomatic agreement with Iran that was keeping its nuclear program in check, until he ripped it up during his first term? 

“For months, I have raised hell about the fact that the American people want lower prices, not more war—especially wars that aren’t authorized by Congress, as required by the Constitution, and don’t have a clear objective. These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray they do not cost our sons and daughters in uniform and at embassies throughout the region their lives. The Senate should immediately return to session and vote on my War Powers Resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran. Every single Senator needs to go on the record about this dangerous, unnecessary, and idiotic action.”

Video of Kaine’s speech on the Senate floor this week about his bipartisan Iran War Powers Resolution is available here.

Kaine has been a leading voice against unauthorized wars during his time in the Senate. Last June, the Senate voted on a similar War Powers Resolution introduced by Kaine to prevent the use of military force against Iran unless explicitly authorized by Congress. The June resolution gained bipartisan support but did not receive enough votes to advance. In January, Kaine forced a vote on his bipartisan War Powers Resolution on Venezuela, which gained enough Republican support to advance but was then sidestepped by Republican leadership to avoid losing further votes.

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STATEMENT OF SENATE INTELLIGENCE VICE CHAIR MARK R. WARNER

~ On U.S. military action in Iran ~

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement on President Donald Trump’s announcement of wide-ranging military strikes inside Iran:

“Overnight, the president conducted expansive U.S. strikes – not limited to nuclear or missile infrastructure but extending to a broad set of targets, including senior Iranian leadership – marking a deeply consequential decision that risks pulling the United States into another broad conflict in the Middle East.

“Iran’s leadership has long supported terrorism across the region, undermined regional stability, continued to advance its nuclear ambitions, and brutally repressed its own people. But acknowledging those realities does not relieve any president of the responsibility to act within the law, with a clear strategy, and with Congress.

“The American people have seen this playbook before – claims of urgency, misrepresented intelligence, and military action that pulls the United States into regime change and prolonged, costly nation-building. We owe it to our service members, and to every American family, to ensure that we are not repeating the mistakes of the past. The president owes the country clear answers: What is the objective? What is the strategy to prevent escalation? And how does this make Americans safer?

“By the president’s own words, ‘American heroes may be lost.’ That alone should have demanded the highest level of scrutiny, deliberation, and accountability, yet the president moved forward without seeking congressional authorization. The Constitution is clear: the decision to take this nation to war rests with Congress, and launching large-scale military operations – particularly in the absence of an imminent threat to the United States – raises serious legal and constitutional concerns. Congress must be fully briefed, and the administration must come forward with a clear legal justification, a defined end state, and a plan that avoids dragging the United States into yet another costly and unnecessary war.”

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Walkinshaw Statement on Trump Administration’s Strikes on Iran

Fairfax, VA – Congressman James R. Walkinshaw, a member of the House Committees on Oversight and Government Reform and Homeland Security, and the subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs, released the following statement on the Trump Administration’s strikes on Iran.

“The American people want and need affordable health care and lower grocery prices, not another war in the Middle East that risks the lives of young Americans. 

I condemn the Iranian regime’s repression, hostility toward its neighbors, support for terrorism around the world, and ambitions to develop nuclear weapons. But the President has presented no evidence of an imminent threat to the United States and no plan to prevent escalation. 

Once again, President Trump has ignored the Constitution and engaged in an act of war without Congressional authorization. Both the House and Senate should convene immediately to debate and pass a War Powers Resolution to rein in this out of control President and remove the United States from hostilities in Iran. 

Today, we pray for our brave men and women in uniform and for all in harm’s way.”

Ranking Member Subramanyam Statement on U.S. Military Action in Iran

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Ranking Member of the Military and Foreign Affairs Oversight Subcommittee, released the following statement after U.S. military action in Iran:

“When we put American servicemembers’ lives at risk, we must ensure that the cause is worthy and the objective is clear. We must ask whether it truly makes our country safer and whether all diplomatic options have been exhausted. 

It is not clear to me that a protracted war with Iran fits that criteria. Last year, we were told that Iran’s nuclear capability was obliterated and it would take years to rebuild. Now we’re told it poses an existential threat to our country and requires war to destroy it. 

I support our troops and their families, and I support the Iranian people’s efforts to fight their oppressive government for a free, fair, and secular future. But the American people are tired of forever wars, regime change with unintended consequences, and spending trillions on wars abroad. 

And once again, President Trump, the ‘Peace President,’ began this military action without any Congressional authorization. The authority to declare war resides with Congress. As these developments unfold, President Trump must seek proper Congressional authorization.

My thoughts and prayers are with American troops and their families, the Iranian people, and people in the region, at this time.”

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Beyer Statement On Iran

February 28, 2026 (Washington, D.C.) – Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) today issued the following statement after President Trump ordered military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran:

“The American people rightly do not want a war with Iran. President Trump’s war is not smart, it is not legal, it is not morally right, and it is not in our national interest. The risk to our servicemembers, citizens, and allies which it creates is not justified by Iran’s threat to our own security, and the threat of a wider conflict that destabilizes the region is significant. Recent history has shown repeatedly that wars in the Middle East are far easier to begin than they are to finish. 

“The President has not made the case for a conflict he himself calls ‘war’ to the country or to Congress, nor has he gotten congressional approval for such a step, which means this war is plainly illegal and unconstitutional. The only justifications given for war have been Trump’s failure to conclude a deal like the one he inherited and foolishly tore up, along with the goal of destroying a nuclear program he declared ‘obliterated’ a few months ago. This does not inspire confidence in the incoherent strategy of an increasingly erratic president.

“The Iranian regime has been brutal and repressive, and the human rights and self-determination of the Iranian people deserve our care and consideration. But there is no evidence that President Trump cares about the people of Iran any more than he does about the people of Venezuela, or about the people of other countries repressed by the autocrats and dictators Trump counts as friends. On the other hand, many civilians have reportedly already been killed, and many more are likely to be. 

“I have always supported diplomacy to achieve our national security aims with Iran as an Ambassador and in Congress, and continue to believe that diplomacy is the only good path forward. The Constitution is clear that only Congress has the power to declare war. I call upon House leaders to immediately bring the House back into session to vote on the Khanna-Massie War Powers Resolution, which I strongly support.”

Rep. Beyer was among the first cosponsors of the War Powers Resolution introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) to terminate unauthorized military engagement with Iran. Beyer previously served for four years in the State Department under President Barack Obama as the Ambassador to Switzerland and Lichtenstein; Switzerland is the protecting power for diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran. As a Member of the House, Beyer worked with the Obama White House to build support in Congress for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, also known as the Iran Nuclear Deal. 

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Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA03):

“President Trump was elected on a promise to end forever conflicts and regime change wars. He has done the opposite. Early this morning, he announced a major military operation against Iran without authorization from Congress. By the President’s own admission, this operation will endanger U.S. personnel and this action risks drawing the U.S. and our allies into a wider conflict.  
The Iranian regime brutalizes their own people and funds many terrorist groups throughout the Middle East. However, we know from the failures of the 2003 War in Iraq what can happen when we lack a clearly defined endgame that prevents the U.S. from being drawn into another quagmire. We previously reached a diplomatic solution that would have avoided war and prevented Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon when President Obama successfully negotiated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. This agreement was broadly supported by the international community and Iran was complying until President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA in 2018. We would not be in this mess now if the President had not withdrawn from that agreement.”

There were renewed talks with Iran that showed a diplomatic path remained open which President Trump abandoned in favor of military hostilities that put American lives in danger. The Constitution is clear. The decision to go to war requires Congressional authorization.”

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