Texas elected officials react to attack on Iran

TEXAS- In the hours after the United States and Israel’s joint military attack on Iran, Texas elected officials largely reacted along party lines to the conflict.

On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. had launched “major combat operations in Iran.” 

“Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,” he said. “Its menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world.”

Texas Republicans spoke out in support of the military operation and the President and sought blessings for the troops involved. 

“For too long, Iran and its tentacles of terror have destabilized the Middle East and waged war on the West and our values,” Senator John Cornyn said on X. “With today’s strikes by U.S. forces led by our Commander-in-Chief, President Trump, there is finally an opening for these dark days to come to an end.”

Senator Ted Cruz joined his colleague in praising the President and speaking out against the Iranian government.

“Today’s action will enhance the national security of the United States and our allies,” he said in a statement. “I applaud our Armed Forces, our intelligence community, and President Trump for their capabilities and resolve to eliminate these threats, and I am deeply appreciative that our Israeli allies are fighting alongside the U.S. on behalf of our mutual interests and against our mutual enemies. May God protect our servicemembers.”

Reactions from Texas House Republicans also poured in with many expressing their opposition to the Iranian regime.

“President Trump is right that a regime this murderous — which chants ‘Death to America’ and despises everything our nation represents — cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, said in a post. “Ultimately, the dismantling of this regime must be driven by the Iranian people, who have suffered the most under its brutal grip.”

Others spoke out in support of the troops involved in the military operation.

“This morning, as we wake up and begin our Saturday, there are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands stepping into harm’s way. Pray for them,” Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, said on X. “As someone who served in a war zone, who flew combat missions, and who said the Lord’s Prayer before executing those missions, I know the power of prayer.”

Texas Democrats had very different reactions. Some called the attack an “illegal war” and said President Trump does not have the authority to sanction military strikes without congressional approval.

“Congress must do everything in its power to stop Trump’s illegal war, including reconvening for an immediate vote on a War Powers Resolution,” Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin, said on social media. “But we will also need millions of Americans to speak out and demand an end.”

Some Democrat officials joined their Republican colleagues in condemning the Iranian regime, though they still disagreed with the President’s attack.

“Iran is a brutal dictatorship that represses its people and destabilizes the Middle East,” Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Dallas, said in a post. “But that does not give the president the authority to drag the United States into another war without a clear strategy, defined objectives, or the authorization required by the Constitution.”

Several Democrats called on Congress to pass a War Powers Resolution, which Republican Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky has said he will work to bring to the House floor. 

“Time and time again, Trump has proven that he is not interested in — or capable of — putting ‘America First,’” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, said on X. “Our soldiers will have to put their lives on the line to defend his reckless decisions. Congress must pass a War Powers Resolution to rein in this dangerous overreach before more damage is done.”

Not all House Democrats spoke out as strongly against the conflict, with one calling for a need to brief Congress on the administration’s intentions in Iran. 

“We have seen the courage of the Iranian people demanding freedom, and we have seen the regime respond with brutality,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, in a post. “The Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war and sustain military operations. In any extended engagement, that role must be exercised.”

In a visit to Corpus Christi on Friday, just hours before the attack, President Trump spoke to a crowd of supporters, at one point referring to the conflict in Iran.

“I’d rather do it the peaceful way, but they’re very difficult people,” Trump said.