Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) claimed that Iran posed “no imminent threat” to the United States and sharply criticized the President’s decision to launch Operation Epic Fury. Like many Democrats, Schiff argued that the president should have sought congressional authorization before acting, raised doubts about what Iran might look like after the strikes, and accused the president of breaking promises to the American people.
However, his accusations ring hollow.
Donald Trump has not made the case to the American people for his new war.
— Adam Schiff (@SenAdamSchiff) March 1, 2026
There was no imminent threat to the country that justified putting our troops at risk.
I'll be helping force a debate and vote in the Senate that would end it. pic.twitter.com/dTdISnRDE8
"There was simply no basis to go in with this massive military campaign with the goal of regime change," Sen. Schiff said. "And the concern here is that we have unleashed factors in the region now that we cannot control."
If the Iranian people do rise up, as the president has called upon them to do, maybe they're successful. Maybe they get slaughtered in reliance on the president's implicit promise that we will be there to help them. Maybe the regime just takes a new form, an equally depraved regime. And then what have we accomplished? Maybe our service members are killed, as the president pointed out, that risk. And I hope and pray they remain safe, both those that are carrying out the mission and those that are in bases in the region.
While there may be significant uncertainty about what will follow once the United States and Israel conclude their operations against Iran, one thing is clear: President Trump would not enter such a conflict without a plan for what comes next. Senator Schiff’s public uncertainty about the strategy unfolding behind the scenes does not, in itself, make Operation Epic Fury a misguided decision.
Nevertheless, like many Democrats, Schiff went on to criticize President Trump for not seeking congressional authorization before launching the operation. In practice, that objection rings hollow. Congress has struggled to perform even its most basic responsibilities, failing to fund the government on time, rein in spending, or act decisively in matters of war. Furthermore, Congress has not formally declared war since World War II, increasingly ceding its authority to the president.
Sen. Schiff continued:
But the president has made no case to the American people. He sought no authorization from Congress. We need to return ASAP and take up a vote on the War Powers Resolution. Tim Kaine, Rand Paul, Senator Schumer and I have introduced. But this case has not been made, and we just can't predict the consequences of this action. One thing is certainly true, though. The president broke his promise to the American people of no more regime change wars, broke his promise to focus on bringing down the cost for American families. There's nothing in this action that's going to improve the lives of Americans.
And once again, a Democrat has accused President Trump of breaking a promise to the American people. But which promise? No new wars? It doesn’t look like we’re in a war, certainly not a drawn-out one. What we’ve seen so far is the United States hitting back hard against an enemy that turned out to be more of a paper tiger than anything else.
Or was the promise to maintain peace through strength? Because that’s exactly what this looks like. After decades of hesitation, the United States is acting like a country that knows and is willing to use its own power. We can’t keep letting hostile states bully us or drag us through endless negotiations while they push their own agenda. At long last, America is showing strength on the world stage, and our enemies are being put on notice.