Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who has called US President Donald Trump’s decision to authorize strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities “unconstitutional,” warned that Republicans could lose the House majority next year over the issue.
Massie told CNN’s Manu Raju on “Inside Politics Sunday” that while Trump won’t be running for office in 2026, his actions in Iran will “fragment” the GOP, and “it’s going to hurt us in the midterms. We could lose the majority over this one issue.”
“People become disillusioned, disaffected, apathetic, and don’t show up to vote, and then Democrats get in the majority and end up impeaching (Trump) again. I think this was a bad move politically, but it’s also just a bad move legally and constitutionally and policy-wise,” he continued.
Massie told Raju “absolutely” Trump broke a campaign promise by engaging in the conflict in Iran, predicting that while the Republican base might agree, GOP lawmakers may not be as willing to criticize Trump because “they’re, frankly, afraid of him,” as well as Israel’s lobbying influence.
The Kentucky Republican also said there was a “conundrum” with Speaker Mike Johnson’s statement on Saturday night that Trump “evaluated that the imminent danger outweighed the time it would take for Congress to act.”
“If there was an imminent threat, why did Speaker Johnson not call us back from our recess?” he asked, noting that the House was not in session last week.
Massie brought up his bipartisan resolution to restrict Trump’s war powers, which he plans to force a House vote on this week.
“The President can act for 60 days without a vote of Congress. But here’s the reality: After 60 days, he has to stop unless there is a vote. So at some point, Manu, I think we’re going to be able to force a vote, unless Speaker Johnson pulls some shenanigans with the Rules Committee,” he said.