Republican U.S. Representative Nancy Mace said Congress should have a say in any decisions about sending troops to Iran, further highlighting divisions within President Donald Trump’s party.
Mace’s comments Sunday came days after he concluded a classified House briefing on the war, in which he said the war raises concerns about the administration’s plans.
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They also come on the same day that the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was preparing for limited ground operations in Iran, including raids on facilities near Kharg Island and the Strait of Hormuz.
“If you’re going to conduct a conventional ground operation with the Marines and the 82nd Airborne, that’s ground combat, and I think Congress should have a say and be briefed on it,” Mace said in an interview with CNN.
“We don’t want to have troops on the ground,” Mace added.
“I think that’s a red line for a lot of people. If you’re going to do that, you should come to Congress and get the appropriate authorities to do it.”
President Trump has so far not publicly supported sending U.S. troops to Iran, but insists all options remain on the table. Although he has touted successes in the past month since the United States and Israel went to war on February 28, the final stages and final timeline of the conflict remain unclear.
Military analysts and President Trump’s own director of national intelligence have said that although Iran’s military capabilities have been degraded by the fighting, the country still retains the ability to inflict damage and potentially rebuild the region.
Many experts also point out that there are limits to using air power alone to completely degrade Iran’s military capabilities, destroy its nuclear program, or achieve more comprehensive regime change.
White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt did not deny the Washington Post report in a statement on Sunday, but said the Pentagon regularly prepares various options for the president to consider.
“It’s the Pentagon’s job to make arrangements to give the commander-in-chief the maximum amount of choice. That doesn’t mean the president made the decision,” Levitt told the paper.
partisan divide
For President Trump, developments on the ground are a politically important Rubicon. Mr. Trump has long supported what he calls an “America First” strategy for swift and limited military action overseas.
The decision will also be a big test for Republican lawmakers. Republicans have generally supported President Trump, even though influential members of his Make America Great Again movement (MAGA) have condemned the war.
That was largely on display at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) rally in Dallas, Texas, last weekend, where several speakers cheered for war or avoided the issue altogether.
But Matt Gaetz, a former congressman and Trump ally, directly criticized the possibility of a ground invasion.
“A ground invasion of Iran would make our country poorer and less secure.” “That means higher gas prices, higher food prices, and I don’t know if we end up killing more terrorists than we create.”
The United States has increased its military presence in the region in recent days, with U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announcing on Saturday that about 3,500 more soldiers had arrived in the Middle East aboard the USS Tripoli.
Earlier, approximately 2,000 soldiers from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division were diverted from the Asia-Pacific region.
The Wall Street Journal reported last week that President Trump is considering sending an additional 10,000 troops to the region, where about 40,000 U.S. troops are normally stationed.
Republican Reps. Eli Crane and Derrick Van Orden, both military veterans, also said in interviews with Politico last week that their support for the war would change if President Trump sent in troops.
“My biggest fear is that this is going to be another long Middle East war,” Crane told the news site.
“I don’t want to take away in any way the president’s ability to carry out this operation, but I know that many of his constituents and many members of Congress are very concerned.”
