Bay Area Democrats lambaste Trump's Iran attack

Sierra Lopez, Bay Area News Group on Jun 22, 2025

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Strong rebukes from Bay Area Democrats rolled in Saturday evening following President Trump’s decision to strike three nuclear sites in Iran.

Of particular concern for the elected leaders was the Trump administration taking action without seeking congressional authorization or even briefing top Democrats about the mission. Trump announced that bombs had been dropped on Iran’s Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites in a social media post.

“Tonight, the President ignored the Constitution by unilaterally engaging our military without Congressional authorization,” Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, said in a statement. “I join my colleagues in demanding answers from the Administration on this operation which endangers American lives and risks further escalation and dangerous destabilization of the region.”

Also speaking out against the Trump administration’s attack on Iran were State Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose; U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco; U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Castro Valley; U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara; and U.S. Rep. Lateefah Simon, D-Oakland.

Swalwell and Mullin both raised concerns about Iran possessing nuclear capabilities but took strong issue with how the Trump administration went about conducting its mission, with Swalwell calling Trump “corrupt and incompetent,” and Mullin asserting the president acted impulsively.

Khanna called on fellow members of Congress to “immediately return to DC” to take up the legislation he introduced with Rep. Thomas Massie “to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war.”

Cortese said the action was “deeply alarming, but not surprising.”

“We are witnessing what amounts to a military coup in our own country. Decisions of war are being made without civilian oversight. This is not how a democracy functions,” Cortese said.

Simon said the mission now puts American troops and families in danger.

“Donald Trump’s bombing of Iran is lawless, dangerous and immoral. This decision was made without the consent of Congress and without regard for the human lives that will be lost,” Simon said in a statement shared on social media. “When we normalize war as a reactionary decision, an easy decision, we lose our moral compass as a nation. No one is safe under a presidency that chooses bombs over dialogue, chaos over peace. We must say it plainly: No one is safe in a Trump presidency.”

Both California Sen. Alex Padilla and Sen. Adam Schiff rebuked Trump’s decision to bomb Iran without Congressional approval. Schiff appeared on CNN Sunday morning, where he said it “never should have been authorized by the president in the absence of intelligence showing that Iran had made the decision to break out and build a bomb.” Schiff pushed back at the president’s assertion that Iran was imminently close to obtaining a nuclear weapon, adding that the Iranian regime would likely pursue a nuclear bomb in reaction to the United States’ strike on its nuclear facilities.

In a statement from his office, Padilla acknowledged the benefits of destroying major outposts for Iran’s nuclear program but expressed concern that the attack could lead to a broader war in the Middle East that could put American lives in peril. He stressed that any further military actions against Iran must be approved by Congress as mandated by the Constitution.

“Dismantling Iran’s nuclear weapons program is imperative for America’s national security and essential to Israel’s safety and right to exist,” Padilla said. “However, it is unacceptable that the president disregarded his constitutional responsibility to seek and secure congressional authorization before launching these strikes.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a social media post that the state’s Threat Assessment Center is monitoring for any possible counter-actions that could harm California.

“While there are no specific or credible counter threats we are aware of at this time, we urge everyone to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity,” Newsom said.

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