Latest news with #ChuckSchumer
New York Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Trump Might Take the U.S. to War. Where Are Schumer and Jeffries?
On many issues, Americans are deeply polarized. War with Iran isn't one of them. An Economist/YouGov poll of U.S. adults taken in the days after Israel's attack last Friday found that Democrats opposed entering the conflict by a margin of 50 points and Republicans opposed entering it by a margin of 30 points. Given these numbers, you might think Democratic leaders would be doing everything they can to prevent President Trump from striking Iran without the approval of Congress. Sadly, they're not. More than 20 years ago, powerful Washington Democrats acceded too timidly to a catastrophic Middle Eastern war. Now they're at risk of doing so again. From the moment Israel struck Iran, it was obvious the United States might be sucked in. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made it clear he wanted Washington to join Israel in attacking Iran's nuclear facilities. And on the day of the first attack, when Tehran retaliated by launching missiles at the Jewish state, the United States helped shoot them down. Despite this, the initial statements by the Democrats' leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, and their House leader, Hakeem Jeffries, said nothing about the need for Congress to authorize war. As the days passed and news reports suggested that Mr. Trump was edging toward entering the fray, Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, invoked the War Powers Act to require the president to gain congressional permission. Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Ro Khanna, a Democrat, proposed something similar in the House. Neither Mr. Schumer nor Mr. Jeffries has signed on. Nor has Mr. Schumer agreed to co-sponsor another bill that Senator Bernie Sanders introduced, prohibiting funding for military force against Iran absent congressional approval (despite backing the same legislation in 2020). In the meantime, the White House said on Thursday that Mr. Trump would decide within two weeks whether to attack Iran, possibly by ordering U.S. forces to strike Iranian nuclear sites with the 30,000-pound bunker buster bombs that Israel lacks. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US senators to receive classified Iran briefing, aide to Senator Schumer says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. senators will receive a classified briefing on Iran early next week, an aide to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday, as Iran and Israel in recent days have ratcheted up their military attacks on each other. Earlier, Schumer told reporters that he had requested such a briefing from the Trump administration. This comes as President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to say if he had made any decision on whether to join Israel's bombing campaign against Iran.
Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Iran-Israel situation: US Senate Democrats seek briefing for all senators
WASHINGTON: US Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday said that he has asked the Trump administration to provide all 100 senators a classified briefing on the situation unfolding between Israel and Iran that has resulted in days of the two countries trading missile attacks.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
Democrats' Wary Response to Transgender Ruling Shows the Party's Retreat
Leading Democrats offered a slow trickle of critical reaction on Wednesday to the Supreme Court's decision upholding a state ban on some transgender care for youths, underscoring the new discomfort on the issue from a party that has long seen itself as a champion of L.G.B.T.Q. Americans. Hours after the ruling arrived, some top Democrats like Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, had denounced the decision as part of a 'cruel crusade against trans Americans.' But many others, including key players in the 2028 shadow primary race, had yet to weigh in. Gov. Gavin Newsom of California was posting on social media about the National Guard. Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania had thoughts about housing. Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland shared a celebration of Pride — but said nothing about the major new court ruling. Even Democrats who condemned the ruling tried to turn the focus to other issues. Mr. Schumer suggested on X that Republicans were using the topic 'to divert attention from ripping health care away from millions of Americans.' The careful calculus reflected how the fraught topic of transgender issues has tormented Democrats for months, with Republicans putting them firmly on the back foot. Many party leaders now believe that liberal politicians took positions in recent years that deviated too far from the beliefs of the average voter. Last year, Donald J. Trump painted Vice President Kamala Harris as too far to the left by pointing to her past positions on transgender care, including support for taxpayer-funded transition surgeries for prisoners and migrants, which she expressed on a questionnaire during the 2019 presidential campaign. (Mr. Trump elided the fact that appointees in his first administration provided gender-affirming care for a small group of inmates.) Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Politics
- Reuters
US senators to receive classified Iran briefing, aide to Senator Schumer says
WASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) - U.S. senators will receive a classified briefing on Iran early next week, an aide to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said on Wednesday, as Iran and Israel in recent days have ratcheted up their military attacks on each other. Earlier, Schumer told reporters that he had requested such a briefing from the Trump administration. This comes as President Donald Trump on Wednesday declined to say if he had made any decision on whether to join Israel's bombing campaign against Iran.
