Where do Missouri, Kansas GOP senators stand on Trump’s Iran war-making? | Opinion
Silence is never deafening, so let’s just say that the lack of Iran commentary from Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt this weekend was pretty noticeable.
By Monday morning — more than two days following President Donald Trump’s decision to launch a regime change war against the Islamic regime in Teheran — neither Missouri Republican had issued a public statement on the proceedings.
No posts to X. No posts to Facebook. No press releases.
Which was kind of odd for a couple of reasons. For one, the war is actually being fought from Missouri soil: B-2 bombers from Whiteman Air Force Base flew halfway around the world to drop 2,000-pound bombs on Iran in the war’s opening days.
So the war is definitely a local concern for Hawley and Schmitt.
But also: These guys like to be seen cheerleading for Trump most of the time. And in this case they were passing up — or, at the very least, delaying — the opportunity. What gives?
Maybe there’s a little bit of embarrassment involved.
Schmitt, after all, loudly praised Trump’s June attack on Iran in terms that, well, no longer apply.
“President Trump was able to obliterate the Iranian nuclear program,” Schmitt wrote in June, “yet didn’t succumb to those in Washington pushing for a forever regime change and a war in the Middle East. He’s putting American interests first and is right — that now it’s time for peace.”
Oops.
Of course, it cannot be the case that Trump both “obliterated” the nuclear program last summer and now uses it to justify a new war on Iran. And if the president was wise to avoid a regime change war in June, what does that say about his judgment now?
That’s the trick with defending Donald Trump. Sooner or later you’ll get your justifications crosswise. Schmitt and Hawley will speak up sooner or later. Getting their stories straight might be the trick.
What will Congress do?
Across the border, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas did speak up quickly — though perhaps not as forcefully as he might have.
The longtime hawk made clear he has no use for Iran’s regime. Teheran has “demonstrated ambitions that put American interests at risk,” he wrote on X.
But what he said next was more interesting and, perhaps, consequential if Moran decides to make it so.
“Our Constitution vests the decision to take our nation to war in Congress,” Moran wrote. “When American forces are engaged or may be further committed, the administration should provide full, timely briefings to Congress so that we can understand the objectives, risks and costs for continued or expanded military action.”
Oh right. The Constitution.
We know that Trump doesn’t care much or even probably know all that much about the Constitution, about its pesky limits on presidential powers, on its checks and balances, about Congress’ role in governing the country and choosing to declare war.
But other Republicans — who have spent decades painting themselves as the “more constitutional than thou” party — ought to care. Moran certainly does, or else he wouldn’t be bringing it up right at the moment the president decided to bomb Iran without bothering to consult with or convince Congress and the American people. His Kansas colleague Roger Marshall, so far, offered a bland blessing for U.S. troops, and posted an ancient video of then-Sen. Marco Rubio warning of the dangers of Iran’s regime.
On the one hand, it’s good that Moran is reminding us all of what the Constitution has to say about war-making. On the other hand, it’s kind of frustrating that he’s merely asking for “briefings” instead of demanding an up-or-down vote to approve this war of choice. (Over in the House, Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna are laying the groundwork for just that kind of vote.)
Moran wants to be informed. But there’s no evidence he wants to be stuck with this particular life-or-death, yes-or-no decision.
Let’s be honest: Congress abandoned its war-making powers to the president a long time ago, and on a bipartisan basis. Democrats are as guilty as Republicans.
But Moran knows better. He revealed as much in his post. The question, then, is what he’s willing to do about it.
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 10:21 AM.
