Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is calling for congressional action — and raising the prospect of impeachment — after President Donald Trump ordered combat operations in Iran without explicit authorization from Congress.
In a post on X, Ocasio-Cortez wrote:
“The President’s disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers. He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.”
‘This War Is Unlawful’
In a longer statement, Ocasio-Cortez accused the administration of dragging the United States into an avoidable conflict.
“The American people are once again dragged into a war they did not want by a president who does not care about the long-term consequences of his actions,” she said. “This war is unlawful. It is unnecessary. And it will be catastrophic.”
She argued that diplomatic options had not been exhausted, claiming negotiations between the U.S. and Iran were ongoing days before the strikes.
“Just this week, Iran and the United States were negotiating key measures that could have staved off war,” she said. “The President walked away from these discussions and chose war instead.”
The congresswoman also criticized Trump’s public acknowledgment that U.S. casualties could occur, responding:
“Mr. President: this was not an inevitability. This is a deliberate choice of aggression when diplomacy and security were within reach.”
Backing War Powers Resolution
Ocasio-Cortez pledged support for a War Powers Resolution introduced by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, which seeks to reassert Congress’s constitutional authority over declarations of war.
“In moments of war, our Constitution is unambiguous: Congress authorizes war. The President does not,” she said. “I will do my part to uphold our Constitution by voting YES… Every member of Congress must join us in rejecting this aimless war.”
The War Powers Resolution mechanism, established under the War Powers Act of 1973, allows Congress to limit or withdraw U.S. armed forces from hostilities not formally declared by lawmakers.
Historical Warnings
Drawing parallels to past conflicts, Ocasio-Cortez invoked lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Violence begets violence,” she said. “We learned this lesson in Iraq. We learned this lesson in Afghanistan. And we are about to learn it again in Iran. Bombs have yet to create enduring democracies in the region and this will be no different.”
The White House has defended the strikes as necessary for national security, but debate over executive war powers is intensifying on Capitol Hill as lawmakers weigh the constitutional and geopolitical consequences of deeper military engagement.
