Long before launching an unsanctioned war against Iran, President Trump had repeatedly demonstrated his contempt for the law, the Uniform Code of Military Justice, international law, and the welfare of the troops under his command. From September 2, 2025, to April 28, U.S. forces carried out 55 airstrikes on civilian vessels in international waters, killing at least 174 people, with only four survivors and 11 missing. These attacks occurred without provocation—no shots were fired from the targeted boats—and without any legitimate congressional oversight. Each strike may constitute a war crime, yet the administration has provided no evidence of the vessels' contents or the identities of those killed.
The pattern has been replicated in the invasion of Iran. There was no imminent threat, no genuine congressional oversight, and no justification for self-defense. Service members now face potential prosecution for following orders from a commander in chief who has never served in uniform. James Madison warned that the executive is the branch most prone to war, which is why the Constitution vested war powers in Congress. But Congress has abdicated that responsibility.
Trump has incompetently led the world into economic disaster, showing indifference to innocent lives. He has fractured the post-war order, weakened NATO, neutered Congress, and tarnished America's global reputation. His shifting justifications for the Iran war—regime change, destroying nuclear capabilities he claimed were already eliminated, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which was open until his attack closed it—reveal a chaotic policy.
Republican members of Congress, with few exceptions, have sat silently, failing as a co-equal branch to stop a catastrophe. The question remains: when will they fulfill their oath and pass a bipartisan Iran War Powers Resolution to rein in Trump's irrational wars?
As Trump's sinking approval ratings threaten GOP midterm prospects, the political calculus may shift. But for now, Congress's inaction is unforgivable.
Marc Racicot, a former Army captain and JAG Corps officer, served as Montana attorney general, governor, and chair of the Republican National Committee.
