Congress Has 'No Backbone' on Trump Military Action, Says Patrick Murphy

Patrick Murphy, Executive Director: Geopolitical Advisory at Hilco Global and former Under Secretary of the Army, examines the inflationary impact and public sentiment of the war with Iran.

Several Senate Democrats are threatening to force numerous war powers votes and otherwise disrupt the chamber unless Republicans agree to hold public hearings with key Trump administration officials on the reasons for the attacks on Iran.

A group of Democrats, including New Jersey’s Cory Booker and Virginia’s Tim Kaine, told reporters late Monday that they would insist on the open hearings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, expressing frustration that all briefings to-date have been classified and behind closed doors.

“There’s a reason to keep it in secret, because you don’t believe it will stand analysis in the light of day, so that’s why we’re doing this,” Kaine said.

The group, which also included Illinois’ Tammy Duckworth, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Chris Murphy of Connecticut and California’s Adam Schiff, said they were speaking for themselves, rather than the broader Senate Democratic caucus. They added that they plan to use their modest powers in the minority to slow down Senate business until top Trump officials testify in public about the White House’s reasons for striking Iran.

Baldwin conceded that Democrats have “a limited number of tools” to put meaningful checks on Trump, but vowed to use procedural obstacles to delay all other Senate business until Trump officials agree to public briefings.

Read More: Trump Signals Possible End to War, Floats Removing Oil Sanctions

That could include pushing additional war powers votes that require the Senate to act, crowding out other nominations and bills before the lawmakers. The Senate also operates under unanimous consent, meaning that any single senator’s objection can greatly hamper the chamber’s legislative proceedings.

“We have collectively agreed that we are going to use the levers that we have,” Booker added. US officials signaled military operations were escalating against Iran and there was little chance of diplomatic talks, throwing cold water on President Donald Trump’s suggestion that the conflict could be resolved soon.

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said the US leader is always willing to talk, while casting doubt on Iranian willingness to do so.

“It’s the same question today that we had when we were negotiating with them — do they actually want to have a diplomatic solution here,” Witkoff said in a CNBC interview on Tuesday. “So far, the evidence suggests no.”

The Pentagon earlier in the day reinforced that message, saying the US and Israel are conducting their most intense day of attacks yet against Iran and won’t give up until the Islamic Republic is beaten — a more aggressive tone than Trump’s comments Monday that indicated the conflict could be winding down.

“We will not relent until the enemy is totally and decisively defeated,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a press conference Tuesday. “We do so on our timeline and at our choosing.”   The remarks from Witkoff and Hegseth indicate Washington isn’t looking for ways to de-escalate the conflict, which has spread across the Middle East and pushed the region’s energy giants to a crisis point.

Oil retreated from Monday’s highs of almost $120 a barrel on Trump’s proclamation that the military operations are ahead of schedule, but the critical Strait of Hormuz remains all but shut and Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have all slashed production.

Asked earlier whether he would be willing to talk to the Iranians, Trump said it would be possible but was non-committal, Fox News reported. Iranian officials have pushed back against that idea, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf saying the country is “absolutely” not seeking a ceasefire.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is set to brief reporters at 2 p.m. in Washington on Tuesday.

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