Candidates vying to represent New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate are weighing in on the Trump administration’s spiraling war with Iran.
Congressman Chris Pappas, a Democrat, says President Trump should have consulted lawmakers before launching attacks on Iran this past weekend. He said he plans to back a resolution by Congress to invoke the War Powers Act in an effort to define military objectives in Iran and across the Middle East.
The War Powers Act was passed in 1973 during the Vietnam War, and limits the president’s ability to send troops overseas without Congressional approval. The United States has not officially declared war against any nation since World War II.
Pappas said he has questions for the administration when Congress is scheduled to receive a classified briefing on military action in Iran later this week.
“What is the scope of this? What are the goals? What are the strategic objectives of this war? We’ve got to ensure first and foremost that we are looking out for our nation’s security, and protecting our troops,” Pappas said Monday.
Pappas’s rivals in the race to succeed Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is retiring, also weighed in.
Democrat Karishma Manzur, a self-described peace candidate, said she would always reject “blank checks for endless wars.”
Former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, said Iran’s regime needed to be stopped before it can develop nuclear weapons. Brown, who spent decades in the National Guard, also took to social media to stress his qualifications to lead during a military conflict.
“I know that when our troops are in harm’s way, we don’t need observers, we need leaders with the background to act, “ Brown said in a post on X.
Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, also a Republican, did not respond to NHPR’s request for a comment since the attacks, but last week said Iran needed to be blocked from achieving nuclear capability.
“When something this grave is in play, that military option needs to be on the table, but it’s not about committing boots on the ground or committing troops,” Sununu told WGIR last week.
