TEXAS- In the hours after the United States and Israel\u2019s joint military attack on Iran, Texas elected officials largely reacted along party lines to the conflict.<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning, President Donald Trump\u00a0announced<\/a>\u00a0that the U.S. had launched \u201cmajor combat operations in Iran.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people,\u201d he said. \u201cIts menacing activities directly endanger the United States, our troops, our bases overseas and our allies throughout the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas Republicans spoke out in support of the military operation and the President and sought blessings for the troops involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor too long, Iran and its tentacles of terror have destabilized the Middle East and waged war on the West and our values,\u201d Senator John Cornyn said on\u00a0X<\/a>. \u201cWith today\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Senator Ted Cruz joined his colleague in praising the President and speaking out against the Iranian government.<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s action will enhance the national security of the United States and our allies,”\u00a0he said in a\u00a0statement<\/a>. “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.”<\/p>\n Reactions from Texas House Republicans also poured in with many expressing their opposition to the Iranian regime.<\/p>\n \u201cPresident Trump is right that a regime this murderous \u2014 which chants ‘Death to America’ and despises everything our nation represents \u2014 cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon,\u201d Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, said in a\u00a0post<\/a>. \u201cUltimately, the dismantling of this regime must be driven by the Iranian people, who have suffered the most under its brutal grip.\u201d<\/p>\n Others spoke out in support of the troops involved in the military operation.<\/p>\n \u201cThis morning, as we wake up and begin our Saturday, there are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, wives and husbands stepping into harm\u2019s way. Pray for them,\u201d Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston, said on\u00a0X<\/a>. \u201cAs someone who served in a war zone, who flew combat missions, and who said the Lord\u2019s Prayer before executing those missions, I know the power of prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n Texas Democrats had very different reactions. Some called the attack an \u201cillegal war\u201d and said President Trump does not have the authority to sanction military strikes without congressional approval.<\/p>\n \u201cCongress must do everything in its power to stop Trump\u2019s illegal war, including reconvening for an immediate vote on a War Powers Resolution,\u201d Rep. Greg Casar, D-Austin,\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0on social media. \u201cBut we will also need millions of Americans to speak out and demand an end.\u201d<\/p>\n Some Democrat officials joined their Republican colleagues in condemning the Iranian regime, though they still disagreed with the President’s attack.<\/p>\n \u201cIran is a brutal dictatorship that represses its people and destabilizes the Middle East,\u201d Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Dallas, said in a\u00a0post<\/a>. \u201cBut 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.”<\/p>\n Several Democrats called on Congress to pass a War Powers Resolution, which Republican Rep. Thomas Massie from Kentucky has\u00a0said<\/a>\u00a0he will work to bring to the House floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTime and time again, Trump has proven that he is not interested in \u2014 or capable of \u2014 putting ‘America First,’\u201d Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, said on\u00a0X<\/a>. \u201cOur 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe have seen the courage of the Iranian people demanding freedom, and we have seen the regime respond with brutality,\u201d said Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, in a\u00a0post<\/a>. \u201cThe Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war and sustain military operations. In any extended engagement, that role must be exercised.\u201d<\/p>\n