Bay Area Lawmakers Rebuke Trump Over Iran Strikes, War Authority

Bay Area members of Congress sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to launch coordinated U.S. strikes against Iran, warning the action risks another prolonged conflict and sidesteps Congress’ constitutional authority over war.

The United States and Israel began major combat operations early Saturday, targeting Iranian military infrastructure and senior leaders in what the Pentagon called “Operation Epic Fury.” Trump, in a video statement posted to Truth Social, said the campaign aims to destroy Iran’s missile capabilities, eliminate its naval power and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iranian state media reported retaliatory missile strikes against U.S. bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-San José, said he was unconvinced by the administration’s rationale and skeptical that airstrikes alone could accomplish the president’s stated goal of regime change.

“We’ve never seen a bombing campaign effective in delivering regime change, whether you’re talking about Iraq or Afghanistan or Vietnam,” Liccardo said. “History is full of those examples where a dominant power believes by bombing somehow or another, there will be a change in regime. It doesn’t work that way.”

Liccardo said while Iran is governed by what he described as a “dictatorial, murderous regime,” there is no organized or armed insurgency inside the country capable of toppling it. Regime change, he said, requires a sustained internal movement and, historically, years of engagement.

“The president has not explained his objectives in a way that is convincing to me, nor do I think they’ll be convincing to the American people,” Liccardo said. He added that achieving regime change would likely require ground forces — “the kind of engagement that the American public won’t support.”

Liccardo also argued the president bypassed Congress in authorizing the strikes.

“This is a president who does not care about the spirit or text of the Constitution,” he said. “Article One is very clear about congressional authority to declare war, and more importantly, for Congress to be consulted in a meaningful way.”

Trump said Saturday that the U.S.‑Israeli strikes on Iran killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the nation’s supreme leader for nearly 37 years and a long‑time foe of both Israel and the United States — a development that could trigger a major political and regional shift, though Iran has not confirmed his death.

Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, a Vietnam combat veteran, said the strikes were not unexpected given the recent U.S. military buildup in the region, but he questioned the unilateral nature of the decision.

“You just don’t move that type of military presence into an area because you think it would be fun,” Thompson said. “This has been something that has been under consideration for some time.”
Still, Thompson said Congress must reassert its role.

“This president has shown no respect for the rule of law or the Constitution,” Thompson said. “I think that the Congress of the United States needs to reassert itself. This is not something that should be done unilaterally.”

He warned the escalation could draw the United States into another prolonged war, despite Trump’s past promises to end so-called forever wars.

“This is looking a lot like another forever war, and it should concern us all,” Thompson said. “I don’t think it is something that the American people want to do, and that is send their sons and daughters into combat.”

Rep. John Garamendi, a Democrat whose district represents parts of Contra Costa and Solano counties, said he has long supported political change in Iran but does not believe military force will achieve it.

“I’ve been advocating a regime change in Iran for a long time, but I’ve never thought, and don’t agree today, that a military is going to achieve that goal,” Garamendi said. “It has to come from the people of Iran.”

Garamendi said the United States is now “involved in a war, and a very aggressive one,” and warned that American casualties are likely as Iran strikes back at U.S. targets in the region.

The military action unfolded as Washington remained in a partial government shutdown after lawmakers failed to reach agreement on funding for several federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. The standoff has underscored tensions between the White House and Congress even as lawmakers face mounting pressure to address the expanding conflict overseas.

KQED’s Rachael Vasquez, Juan Carlos Lara and María Fernanda Bernal contributed to this story.