Washington, D.C. — Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement after President Trump launched strikes on Iran:
“President Trump and his Administration have launched the United States into a war with Iran with no authorization from Congress. Only Congress has the power to declare war, not the President. Iran is a terrorist state that can never be allowed to acquire a nuclear weapon, which is why I supported tough economic and diplomatic measures that effectively constrained Tehran’s nuclear ambitions for years.
“As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I have seen no new intelligence or information suggesting that Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon had become more imminent, as the Administration suggested.
“Having chosen, once again, to act unilaterally, the Trump Administration must explain immediately to Congress and the American people how it plans to prevent these events from creating a chain reaction that hopelessly destabilizes Iran or ignites a regional conflagration that jeopardizes the lives of American troops.
“I plan to vote for the bipartisan War Powers Resolution that must immediately come to the Senate floor to rein in President Trump’s unauthorized war. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join me.”
In June 2025, Bennet voted for a War Powers Resolution that would prevent President Trump from pursuing an unauthorized war with Iran. Senate Republicans blocked the resolution. In December 2025, Bennet voted – for the first time in his career – against the National Defense Authorization Act because of his grave concerns about President Trump’s actions and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s lawless Department of Defense.
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