File: U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley, left, and Ron Wyden listen to speakers during a town hall held at the Federal Building in Portland, Ore., March 17, 2025. Both Senators have been outspoken about Pres. Trump's military attack on Iran and say only Congress has the Constitutional power to declare war.
Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said President Trump’s decision to launch an attack on Iran “shreds our Constitution, which assigns decisions of war to Congress.”
As of March 2, at least six U.S. Service members have been killed in the military operation. The House and Senate are set to vote this week on bipartisan war powers resolutions, which would limit Trump’s ability to take military action — in Iran and around the world — without Congressional approval.
Though the measures are bipartisan, those supporting and opposing the Trump-ordered attacks on Iran are split along party lines, with Democrats opposing and most Republicans supporting them. We hear from Merkley, a long time member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, about what he and other Democrats are doing to prevent further war and bloodshed in the region.
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