GOP Resist Calls for Iran War Hearings 03/16 07:07

   The United States' war with Iran is entering its third week, but Congress 
has yet to publicly test the Trump administration's case for the conflict.

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- The United States' war with Iran is entering its third 
week, but Congress has yet to publicly test the Trump administration's case for 
the conflict.

   Republicans in Congress have so far side-stepped public debate over the war, 
even as Senate Democrats reach for every tool at their disposal to demand 
hearings with Trump administration officials. Increasingly frustrated, 
Democrats are threatening this week to force a series of votes on the war, 
hoping that the effort to gum up the Senate's voting schedule will prod 
Republicans to action.

   "We've had no oversight whatsoever over what the executive is doing as we're 
spending a billion dollars a day, and we have failed to have any real 
substantive debate or discussion," said Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J.

   The role of Congress in the deliberations is an unsettled question with 
enormous stakes, given that lawmakers have the power to shape the trajectory of 
the conflict as it grows in cost and casualties. So far, 13 military members 
have been killed and billions of dollars have been spent, but President Donald 
Trump has not sought congressional approval for attacking Iran.

   As the 17th day of the conflict dawned Monday, Republican lawmakers remained 
mostly resistant to the idea of quickly forcing public testimony before 
Congress.

   How GOP leaders are handling calls for hearings

   Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters last week that he didn't 
expect public hearings specifically on the Iran war, but noted it would 
inevitably come up in the regular rhythm of testimony on military policy and 
spending.

   "They have briefed us," Thune, R-S.D., said, pointing to classified 
briefings from the Trump administration. Those sessions have been held behind 
closed doors and most lawmakers refuse to disclose more than the broad topics 
of discussion.

   Thune also noted there have been regular news conferences from Defense 
Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff. They are "answering the hard questions that are being asked," Thune said.

   The GOP chairs of committees dealing with national security have also said 
they don't have plans in the near term to hold hearings specifically on the 
war, though some acknowledged the value of lawmaker questioning.

   Sen. Roger Wicker, the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued 
that the regular run of hearings on Capitol Hill would provide lawmakers with 
plentiful opportunities to ask questions.

   "We're going to conduct generous oversight, thorough oversight," said 
Wicker, R-Miss.

   Some Republicans are looking ahead to an expected supplemental budget 
request from the Trump administration to cover the costs of the war. That 
request, however, is likely weeks away and faces a difficult path through 
Congress.

   Democrats have pointed out that the Pentagon has already received additional 
funding from Republicans' marquee tax cut law that was passed last year and 
provided funding for GOP priorities, including at the Pentagon.

   Wariness growing from some Republicans

   Still, agitation from a few Republicans at the lack of high-level responses 
from the Trump administration is starting to show, especially as they brace for 
a hefty war bill from the administration.

   "I don't want to just be given the invoice from the Department of Defense, 
saying this is what it's going to cost," said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. "I 
want them to be engaged with us."

   She added that it was important for lawmakers to get information both in 
classified briefings and public hearings "so that the public can better 
understand this, too."

   Another GOP senator on the powerful Appropriations Committee, Louisiana's 
John Kennedy, exited a classified briefing last week fuming that it had been a 
"total waste of time" because the officials were not able to provide the 
answers that top-level Cabinet officials could.

   Republicans have almost uniformly backed Trump's decision to launch an 
attack on Iran, though many are wary of a lengthy conflict. Trump has cycled 
through different objectives for the war, ranging from crippling Iran's 
military capabilities to a demand for "unconditional surrender."

   "I think we have to let the objective play out as far as we can, and if then 
the effort gets murky on how to get to the objective, that might be a good time 
to have some hearings, but it's too early," said Sen. Cynthis Lummis, a Wyoming 
Republican.

   But as the midterm elections approach, Republicans are also aware that 
public support for the war remains tepid.

   "I wish we could disclose a lot of this publicly because it would make it a 
whole lot easier to explain to the American people," said Sen. Mike Rounds, 
R-S.D., adding that classified briefings were necessary to protect U.S. service 
members now that the war is under way.

   How Democrats may force a debate

   Democrats, meanwhile, are threatening to do just about everything in their 
power to bring attention to the war, even if it means repeatedly forcing votes 
that fail.

   A group of six Democrats has said that unless hearings are scheduled with 
Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other Cabinet officials, they will 
call up daily votes on a series of war powers resolutions that if passed would 
require Trump to gain congressional approval before carrying out any more 
attacks on Iran. Similar resolutions have already been rejected by both 
chambers in the Republican-controlled Congress.

   The votes, however, would eat up valuable time on the Senate floor and set 
the ground for a debate on the conflict just as Senate Republicans plan to 
spend much of the week trying to pass Trump's priority legislation to impose 
strict new proof-of-citizenship requirements for voting.

   The group of Democratic senators also hinted at using other tactics to slow 
the Senate's work on other business.

   Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, told reporters that unless there 
is a commitment for public hearings, "We're not going to let the Senate go on 
with business as usual. We're not going to let the Senate be silenced."