Lake County's congressmen weigh in on Iran bombing; ‘The right decision by an administration and president that usually make the wrong one'

Chicago Tribune

4 days ago

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives who represent parts of Lake County agree that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon, but disagree to varying extents about President Donald Trump's failure to go to Congress before bombing three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday.
U.S. Rep Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, who was in the Middle East last week talking to leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, discussing paths to peace, said if the ceasefire Trump brokered after the bombing works, it could lead to a more peaceful region.
'We looked at ways we could further the Abraham Accords. We talked about the ability of the parties in the Middle East to find a path to security and prosperity,' Schneider said. 'It will make relief, recovery and renewal in Gaza easier,' he added, referring to a potential ceasefire there.
Both U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston, and U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, said Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal during his first term set in motion the events that led to the bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites Saturday.
'This successful diplomatic agreement cut off every pathway to an Iranian nuclear weapon until Trump withdrew from it in 2018,' Schakowsky said in an email.
'Under that agreement, we maintained adequate oversight over Iran's nuclear program such that if they backed out, the U.S. and our allies would have at least a full year to respond militarily before Iran had enriched uranium for their first nuclear weapon,' Foster added via email.
U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Chicago, said in an email that Trump's actions placed the U.S. in a less-safe position, which puts members of the American armed forces in the Middle East in danger and is 'increasing the likelihood of an attack on U.S. soil.'
'Iran is one of the largest state sponsors of terrorism in the world, and I believe preventing them from developing a nuclear weapon is critical to global security,' Quigley said in the email. 'The way to accomplish this goal is through diplomacy.'
Foster, Quigley, Schakowsky and Schneider were scheduled to participate in a classified briefing about the war now involving the United States, Israel and Iran on Tuesday in Washington, which was abruptly cancelled, leaving them without needed information.
'I'm indignant how Trump did not inform Congress, or at least leadership of both parties,' Schneider said. 'We need to know the extent Iran's nuclear program was destabilized and how our people in the region and around the world are impacted. We need to be informed about the intelligence on which these decisions were based.'
While Congress has the sole authority to declare war under the Constitution, Schneider said the president is charged with keeping Americans safe both at home and around the world. It is part of his constitutional authority.
'There is a tension there,' Schneider said, 'That prerogative exists not only as a matter of law, but as a safeguard,' he added in a statement Saturday night. 'The administration must immediately engage with Congress and urgently provide a bipartisan, classified briefing so we can assess the intelligence, legal justifications, objectives and consequences of this action.'
From the time Iran stopped cooperating with international nuclear inspectors, Foster said the president had sufficient time to seek Congress's permission to use powerful bombs that only America has to strike Iran.
'There has been more than enough time for the Trump Administration to brief Congress on the situation and seek the permission constitutionally required for military action,' Foster said in a statement. 'It is also inexcusable that Trump did not inform Congressional leadership before military action was taken.'
Quoting an article from the Atlantic, Schneider said Trump's decision to bomb Iran 'was the right decision by an administration and president that usually make the wrong one.' He questioned the ability and experience of people advising the president, like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
'All of these people now make important decisions,' Schneider said. 'I have grave concerns about their ability to do so.'
Foster, a nuclear scientist who worked at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory before being elected to Congress, said in the email that he has heard a number of inaccurate statements about nuclear weapons from Vice President JD Vance.
'Based on the technically ignorant statements from people like JD Vance, it's clear that relevant knowledge of nuclear weapons is completely absent in this administration,' Foster said in the email.