Tracking Our Compliant Eastern Washington Congressional Rep
On Saturday, February 28, 2026, the United States and Israel launched coordinated military strikes on Iran. In an eight-minute video announcing Operation Epic Fury, President Trump said, “A short time ago, the United States military began major combat operations in Iran.” He warned that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.”[1] The president positioned his actions against Iran as an act of war.
The strikes were launched without a declaration of war and without specific congressional authorization.[2]
Trump justified the operation by claiming Iran had “rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions.”[3]Yet for eight months, he and senior officials had insisted that last June’s Operation Midnight Hammer “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program.[4] Three days before the latest strikes, former UN weapons inspector David Albright told the Wall Street Journal that satellite imagery showed “no evidence” Iran was reconstituting its nuclear weapons program, “they are essentially on hold.”[5] As recently as February 13, Trump was still describing “total obliteration” of the same program he now cites as an imminent threat requiring major combat operations.[6]
When a president calls his military campaign a war, the Constitution assigns the power to declare war to Congress.[7] The executive branch has no authority to assert that power. And in Eastern Washington, one member of Congress sits on the committee specifically charged with oversight of war powers and the deployment of United States armed forces.[8]
Jurisdiction and The Responsibility Question
Rep. Michael Baumgartner sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, the subcommittee with direct jurisdiction over the region the United States struck on Saturday.[9] Under House Rule X, the Foreign Affairs Committee’s jurisdiction includes “war powers … and the deployment and use of United States Armed Forces.”[10] At the start of each Congress, the House adopts its rules package, which assigns those authorities to the committee.[11]
The War Powers Resolution directs presidential reports on hostilities to that committee and requires that authorizations for the use of force move through it.[12] That committee is the institutional gatekeeper for Congress’s war powers.
The Supreme Court warned decades ago that congressional “inertia, indifference or quiescence” on war powers “enables, if not invites” unilateral presidential action.[13]
Baumgartner publicly affirmed Congress’s critical oversight role, but applauded the president when he unilaterally neutered law makers authority.[14]
Unambiguous Authorization
On May 5, 2025, Baumgartner published an op-ed in the National Review laying out his framework for U.S. Iran policy. He invoked the lessons of Iraq and Afghanistan, citing 6,900 American lives and $2 trillion in direct appropriations, and warned that “delay and ambiguity invite danger.” He called for the full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program. And he set a specific standard for congressional authority: “Any deal that touches on regional security guarantees or use of force needs congressional oversight and unambiguous authorization.”[15]
Three days later, he introduced H.Res. 398, a resolution reinforcing the same demands. His press release called for “affirming Congress’s critical oversight role, especially regarding the authorization of force.”[16]
Seven weeks later, the president ordered strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities without specific congressional authority.[17]
From Article I to Article II
In spite of his Congress-affirming rhetoric, in the hours after the June 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer, Baumgartner aligned himself with the strike. His statement appeared in the White House’s official compilation of support: “The President made the right decision to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities as it is absolutely necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”[18] Days later, he joined a resolution backing the operation and describing Iran’s nuclear program as “significantly degraded.”[19]
In a KUOW public radio interview that week, Baumgartner described himself as “an Article One guy,” a reference to Congress’s constitutional authority.[20] Days later, on KREM 2, he was asked whether the president required congressional authorization for the strikes. “Well, he certainly has the authority under Article Two of the Constitution, which makes him the Commander in Chief. Obviously, I do like to have Congress involved.”[21]
In that same interview, he cautioned that the Iranian program “can always be reconstituted.” The Middle East, he said, would not “suddenly” become peaceful.[22] Eight months later, the administration would cite the nuclear threat again as justification for new military action.
By February 2026, Baumgartner’s own assessment would collide with the administration’s renewed urgency.
The Timeline Problem
On February 22, 2026, Baumgartner told the Spokesman-Review that the June strikes had “set it [Iran] back by a year or two.”[23] It was the only quantified estimate he has given. That same day, President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Fox News that Iran was “probably a week away from having industrial-grade bomb-making material.”[24]
The two assessments describe materially different timelines. A program pushed back one to two years would not be a week from bomb-grade capacity. A program a week from bomb-grade capacity would indicate a far more limited effect from the earlier operation.
Within days, independent experts reinforced the gap. As noted earlier, analysts reviewing satellite imagery found no evidence of reconstitution.[25] Arms Control Association director Daryl Kimball estimated it would take months, not a week, for Iran to enrich material to bomb grade.[26]
On February 27, hours before Operation Epic Fury began, the Omani mediator leading the U.S.-Iran talks announced that Iran had agreed to Trump’s demands for zero enriched-uranium stockpiling, irreversible degradation of existing material, and full IAEA verification.[27] The next day, Trump said Iran had “rejected every opportunity.”[28]
Over the course of six days, the conflicting assessments, expert analysis, and diplomatic developments were publicly available to members of the committee. Despite having access to all of the information, Baumgartner did not publicly challenge the justification for war.
The Silence
On February 24, 2026, President Trump devoted significant time in his State of the Union Address to Iran, declaring that the regime was “at this moment again pursuing their sinister ambitions.”[29] Baumgartner was in the chamber. His only public response was a post celebrating Medal of Honor recipients and the gold medal hockey team, with no reference to Iran, the nuclear program he had introduced two resolutions about, or congressional authorization.[30]
The pattern extended well beyond that evening. Between June 2025 and February 2026, the public record contains no instance of Baumgartner demanding congressional authorization for military force against Iran. Earlier, in January 2026, discussing Venezuela, he told an interviewer he had attended a classified briefing that week with Secretary Rubio and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.[31] No comparable statement reflects a request for a classified briefing on Iran. In that same KUOW interview, when asked about Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s War Powers resolution, he rejected its premise, saying the president had the authority to order the strikes as Commander in Chief, and never revisited the question, even as a second round of strikes became imminent.[32]
On Saturday, February 28, he called Trump “America’s most strategic and consequential Commander in Chief since Eisenhower,” conducting “a master class in dealing with America’s many security challenges in the Middle East.”[33] The only constitutional language in the statement was “Commander in Chief.” There was no reference to Congress, no mention of authorization, and no invocation of the oversight standard he had written nine months earlier.
Rep. Warren Davidson, Republican of Ohio, publicly stated he had requested a classified briefing and would support the War Powers resolution absent new information.[34] Baumgartner, who had demanded “unambiguous authorization” in his May 2025 resolution,[35] praised the president.
Eastern Washington’s Stake
On March 1, 2026, U.S. Central Command confirmed that three American service members were killed and five were seriously wounded in ongoing operations connected to Operation Epic Fury.[36] Additional personnel sustained minor injuries and are returning to duty. The casualties were reported one day after Iranian state media confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening phase of the strikes. His death prompted national mourning in Iran.[37]
Carmela Conroy, a 24-year State Department veteran and former U.S. Consul General in the Middle East, is challenging Baumgartner for his seat. On Saturday, she said: “My thoughts are with the U.S. Military, Foreign, and Civilian service members and American citizens across the Middle East as news breaks that the United States and Israel have launched preemptive strikes on Iran, and Iran is retaliating.” She added, “The Constitution is clear: the power to declare war belongs to Congress.”[38]
Six days before the latest strikes, Baumgartner told the Spokesman-Review that Fairchild Air Force Base’s role in global conflicts is part of why his committee work matters to Washington’s Fifth District.[39] In a June 2025 television interview, he described watching KC-135 tankers depart Fairchild for Qatar after returning from the region.[40]
Fairchild is the Air Force’s largest KC-135 refueling wing.[41] Tanker support is essential to sustained strike operations across the Middle East.[42] The 92nd Air Refueling Wing at Fairchild maintains a continuous deployment presence in the region.
In May, Baumgartner introduced a resolution stating that Congress has the “exclusive responsibility” to authorize the use of force. In June, he introduced a resolution endorsing military action taken without that authorization.
Congress decides when Americans are sent into combat. Baumgartner moved from asserting Congress’s “exclusive responsibility” to affirming the president’s authority to act without it.
Endnotes
[1] AP News, February 28, 2026. apnews.com/article/iran-us-trump-address-f662a4f3378535d81197be699fb35a3e
[2] “Democratic lawmakers decry Iran attacks as illegal.” Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2026. wsj.com/politics/policy/democratic-lawmakers-decry-iran-attacks-as-illegal-46c1d897
[3] See note 1.
[4] “Full text of Trump’s speech following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.” Times of Israel, June 21, 2025. timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-trumps-speech-following-us-strikes-on-iranian-nuclear-facilities/
[5] “White House says Iran is close to weapons-grade nuclear material. Experts say no.” Wall Street Journal, ~February 25, 2026. wsj.com/world/middle-east/white-house-says-iran-is-close-to-weapons-grade-nuclear-material-experts-say-no-e7a93cb5
[6] CNN, February 24, 2026. edition.cnn.com/2026/02/24/politics/nuclear-program-iran-trump-strike
[7] U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 8.
[8] Rep. Michael Baumgartner, Committees and Caucuses. baumgartner.house.gov/about/committees-and-caucuses
[9] See note 8.
[10] 119th Congress House Foreign Affairs Committee Rules, adopted January 22, 2025. docs.house.gov/meetings/FA/FA00/20250122/117833/HMTG-119-FA00-20250122-SD005.pdf
[11] Standard House procedure. The House adopts its rules package, including committee jurisdictions, at the start of each Congress.
[12] War Powers Resolution, 50 U.S.C. §1541 et seq. See also Congressional Research Service Report R42699. everycrsreport.com/reports/R42699.html
[13] Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, 343 U.S. 579, 637 (1952) (Jackson, J., concurring). constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/supreme-court-case-library/youngstown-sheet-tube-co-v-sawyer-steel-seizure-case
[14] “Baumgartner Introduces Resolution to Prevent Iran from Acquiring Nuclear Weapons.” Press release, May 13, 2025. baumgartner.house.gov/media/press-releases/baumgartner-introduces-resolution-prevent-iran-acquiring-nuclear-weapons
[15] Michael Baumgartner, “America Must Lead in the Middle East with Strength, Not Slogans.” National Review, May 5, 2025. baumgartner.house.gov/media/in-the-news/america-must-lead-middle-east-strength-not-slogans
[16] See note 14.
[17] See note 4.
[18] “Statements of Support: President Trump’s Actions Against Iran’s Nuclear Program.” White House, June 22, 2025. whitehouse.gov/news/2025/06/22/statements-of-support-president-trumps-actions-against-irans-nuclear-program/
[19] “Baumgartner, Pfluger, Nunn Champion Resolution to End Iran’s Nuclear Threat.” Press release, June 27, 2025. baumgartner.house.gov/media/press-releases/baumgartner-pfluger-nunn-champion-resolution-end-irans-nuclear-threat-and
[20] KUOW Sound Politics podcast, ~late June 2025. Hosted by Scott Greenstone. kuow.org/podcasts/sound-politics
[21] “Representative Michael Baumgartner on President Trump’s strike on Iran.” KREM 2, ~June 24, 2025. krem.com/article/news/politics/representative-michael-baumgartner-president-trumps-strike-iran/293-76b9de33-18d5-4345-9377-5d093a71d523
[22] See note 21.
[23] Orion Donovan Smith, “Baumgartner reflects on being sole House Republican…” Spokesman-Review, February 22, 2026. spokesman.com/stories/2026/feb/22/baumgartner-reflects-on-being-sole-house-republica/
[24] “Witkoff warns Iran ‘a week away’ from bomb material as Trump weighs action.” Fox News, February 22, 2026. foxnews.com/media/witkoff-warns-iran-a-week-away-from-bomb-material-trump-weighs-action
[25] “Trump’s chaotic and reckless Iran nuclear policy.” Arms Control Association, March 2026. armscontrol.org/act/2026-03/focus/trumps-chaotic-and-reckless-iran-nuclear-policy
[26] See note 25.
[27] “Full transcript: Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi.” CBS News, Face the Nation, February 27, 2026. cbsnews.com/news/full-transcript-omani-foreign-minister-badr-albusaidi/
[28] See note 1.
[29] “Read the complete transcript of Trump’s 2026 State of the Union.” WCAX, February 25, 2026. wcax.com/2026/02/25/read-complete-transcript-trumps-2026-state-union/
[30] @RepBaumgartner, X (formerly Twitter), February 24, 2026. x.com/RepBaumgartner/status/2026513071577907352
[31] Amanda Roley interview with Rep. Michael Baumgartner, ~January 6, 2026. Transcript in author’s possession.
[32] See note 20.
[33] Nick Gibson, “Top Washington Democratic lawmakers call for…” Spokesman-Review, February 28, 2026. spokesman.com/stories/2026/feb/28/top-washington-democratic-lawmakers-call-for-trans/
[34] “Democrats push Iran war powers vote as Trump weighs action.” Axios, February 26, 2026. axios.com/2026/02/26/democrats-iran-war-powers-vote-trump
[35] See note 15.
[36] “USCENTCOM Statement on U.S. Forces Casualties Sustained in Iran Operations.” U.S. Central Command, March 1, 2026. centcom.mil/MEDIA/PRESS-RELEASES/Press-Release-View/Article/4084997/uscentcom-statement-on-us-forces-casualties-sustained-in-iran-operations/
[37] “Iran’s supreme leader killed by U.S.-Israeli strikes, state media reports.” Associated Press, February 28, 2026. apnews.com/article/f1c13b1304044782b8fb3b15c2fc088a. See also “Iranian leader Khamenei killed in air strikes as U.S., Israel…” Reuters, February 28, 2026. reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/israel-us-launch-strikes-iran-2026-02-28/. “Iran declares mourning after Supreme Leader’s death in strikes.” Associated Press, February 28, 2026. apnews.com/article/c5418c0f041bf7b51818c7489278b96c
[38] Carmela Conroy biography. conroy4congress.com; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmela_Conroy.
[39] See note 23.
[40] See note 21.
[41] 92nd Air Refueling Wing Fact Sheet. fairchild.af.mil
[42] “Refueling Tanker Aircraft: Background and Issues for Congress.” Congressional Research Service, IF13157. everycrsreport.com/reports/IF13157.html