Nevada senators call on Trump to get congressional approval ahead of more action in Iran

Nevada’s Democratic senators and congressional representatives called on President Donald Trump to come before Congress before any further action in Iran.

“The administration must come before Congress with a detailed plan for how to protect our service members and bases overseas, prevent Iran from restarting their nuclear program, and get Iran back to the negotiating table diplomatically,” Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto wrote Sunday on X.

The United States launched strikes on nuclear targets in Iran on Saturday night — a decision the Trump administration made without Congressional approval.

The U.S. Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war. The Trump administration has maintained that it was not an act of war, but that it has not ruled out future strikes.

“There will be either peace, or there will be tragedy for Iran, far greater than we have witnessed over the last eight days,” Trump said in a Saturday speech. “Remember, there are many targets left. Tonight’s was the most difficult of them all, by far, and perhaps the most lethal. But if peace does not come quickly, we will go after those other targets with precision, speed and skill.”

Following the U.S. strikes, Iran launched a limited missile attack Monday on a U.S. military base in Qatar.

“Right now, air sirens are blaring at U.S. bases across the Middle East because President Trump ignored the dangers that his impulsive air strikes posed for our military personnel,” Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev. said in a Monday statement. “The President has no authority to entangle the United States in a new war, and Congress has not authorized the use of military force.”

Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., said in a Saturday X post that she signed onto a War Powers Resolution to prevent further U.S. involvement without congressional approval.

The president “launched another war: one that Congress has not authorized, Nevadans don’t support, and Trump himself said he would never pursue,” Titus wrote.

Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., on Sunday also called on the president to involve Congress before taking any further military action. She and Cortez Masto also commended the bravery of the service members in the mission.

Rosen’s statement also included a paragraph affirming the importance of ensuring Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

“The Iranian Regime has made it clear that they will do everything in their power to destroy the United States and Israel, and their nuclear program has been a means to that end. This is why I have never wavered in my firm belief that Iran cannot be allowed to develop or obtain a nuclear weapon,” Rosen said.

Both Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo and Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., commended Trump’s actions.

“The President made the right call in authorizing Saturday’s mission. Had we continued to wait, the world would be facing far more violent and catastrophic consequences, not just in the Middle East, but here at home and around the globe,” Amodei said Monday.

He called Iran’s retaliatory strikes “inexcusable.”

Lombardo posted a statement in support on X on Saturday.

“I stand with Israel and appreciate President Trump’s thoughtful and timely action to neutralize Iranian nuclear sites,” he wrote.

In a Monday statement, Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev. also said she remained firm in her commitment that Iran cannot be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“It cannot be forgotten that the Iranian regime is responsible for funding global terrorism and killing Americans. The regime’s goal is to access nuclear weapons to use against America, Israel, and our other allies. I’m grateful that no U.S. servicemembers were harmed this weekend during the strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities,” Lee said.

Lee’s statement did not include mention of Congressional approval.

Cortez Masto said that the administration must not “push the U.S. into a war with Iran.”

Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley hadn’t posted publicly as of Monday and did not respond to requests for comment.

Lombardo went on to say that “a nuclear Iran threatens global security and poses a direct threat to both Israel and America.”

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social. Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.