Biden’s Airstrikes on Yemen Draw Outrage From Democrats and Republicans Alike

Members of Congress are expressing their displeasure with Joe Biden for launching airstrikes in Yemen, a move that has achieved the rare effect of uniting many Republicans and Democrats.

The United States and the U.K. bombed 16 different sites in Yemen Thursday night, hitting more than 60 targets, in a retaliatory strike against the Houthis. The strikes were meant to pressure the Houthis to stop blocking commercial ships in the Red Sea, a campaign it began over growing frustration with Israel’s war on Gaza.

Members of Congress across the political spectrum expressed frustration late into the night that Biden gave them just a few hours’ notice before authorizing the strikes. Democratic Representative Ro Khanna was one of the first to state his outrage, writing on X (formerly Twitter) that presidents do not have unilateral authority to launch military strikes unless the country is under attack.

Khanna also retweeted former Republican Representative Justin Amash, who explained that the War Powers Act only allows the president to involve the U.S. military in overseas hostilities if the country is already at war or is currently under attack, or if the president got special approval. Otherwise, Congress must be notified 48 hours in advance.

Republican Representatives Matt Gaetz, Anna Paulina Luna, and Thomas Massie, as well as Senator Mike Lee, were quick to back Khanna up on his point. All four Republicans stressed that Congress should have been given more advance notice.

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene slammed Biden for authorizing the airstrike without congressional approval, though she also slammed him for multiple other issues. The Georgia Republican accused him of becoming a warmonger by supporting conflict in Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and now the Middle East.

Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, accused Biden of violating the Constitution. “The American people are tired of endless war,” she wrote on X.

In a shocking display of unity, Massie backed her up in the comments against people arguing on Biden’s behalf.

Democratic Representatives Cori Bush and Summer Lee warned against involving the U.S. in more “endless wars,” alongside expressing their displeasure that Biden hadn’t notified Congress 48 hours in advance. Representative Pramila Jayapal called it “an “unacceptable violation of the Constitution.”

Representatives Sarah Jacobs and Barbara Lee, both California Democrats, were worried that the airstrikes could escalate into something much greater.

Many other lawmakers, again both Democrats and Republicans, also made an unlikely alliance in backing Biden’s decision to order the airstrikes. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell called the bombing “overdue.” Democratic Representatives Ruben Gallego and Seth Moulton praised Biden for standing up to “terrorism” overseas.