Democratic US Senator Cory Booker has launched a scathing critique against both his own party and the Republicans, branding them as "feckless" for their failure to uphold congressional war powers and effectively ceding authority to President Donald Trump. Booker warned that this congressional inaction could dangerously embolden the president to launch unilateral military strikes against nations such as Cuba and North Korea.
Booker's Blunt Assessment on CNN
Appearing on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, the New Jersey senator did not mince words. "I'm going to be one of those Democrats who say I think both parties have been feckless in allowing the growth of the power of the presidency," Booker stated emphatically. He clarified that his criticism was not about past administrations, asserting that nothing done by Barack Obama or even Trump prior to his electoral defeat to Joe Biden was "in any way related to what we're seeing right now."
Recent Military Actions and Escalating Conflict
Booker's remarks directly referenced a series of US military strikes ordered by Trump since Christmas, targeting Nigeria, Venezuela, and Iran. He highlighted the conflict initiated by the US and Israel in Iran on 28 February, which resulted in the death of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei via a missile strike. Booker described this as "the biggest military engagement of our country since the war in Afghanistan."
Simultaneously, Trump has renewed threats to seize Greenland for the United States by military force if necessary, further illustrating the expanding scope of presidential military ambitions.
Congressional Failures and Partisan Divisions
Despite efforts by Booker's Democratic colleagues in the US House to introduce a measure halting US military action in Iran, the initiative failed due to a lack of support from Trump's Republican allies. Consequently, the military campaign in Iran persists unabated. This failure was compounded by the US Senate's rejection of a war powers resolution in a 47-53 vote, a decision that largely adhered to partisan lines.
Broader Strategic and Economic Consequences
Booker pointed to the wider ramifications of the escalating conflict, which has not only destabilised the region but also severely disrupted global oil markets. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime passage for international trade, has been closed for two weeks as of Sunday. "Literally, you see with what's going on in the Strait of Hormuz right now as the biggest gumming up of the oil markets we have ever seen," Booker told CNN.
He further cautioned about the strategic risks, noting, "The consequences strategically for us moving so many assets in the region means that we're endangering the assets we have necessarily and potentially in other areas."
Human and Financial Costs
The senator also underscored the grave human toll, revealing that 13 US military personnel have lost their lives in the Iran conflict as of Sunday. "This is a massive military undertaking, costing American taxpayers billions and billions of dollars and tragically costing 13 lives," he lamented.
A Precedent of Presidential Overreach
While acknowledging that previous presidents have occasionally overstepped constitutional limits on war powers, Booker insisted that Trump's Iran campaign represents an unprecedented escalation. "At this magnitude, at this cost, why is Congress just laying down and doing nothing?" he questioned. "Because, if we allow this to happen, then we give Trump the permission to say, 'OK, finished with Venezuela, I went to Iran, now I'm going to go to Cuba, now I'm going to go to North Korea.'"
Booker concluded with a powerful indictment of congressional inertia, stating, "It is outrageous and never conceived of that we could have this level of a military engagement without the people's house, Congress, doing something about it."
