Western Pa. politicians divided over Middle East conflict

Two Pittsburgh-area U.S. House members on Wednesday blasted President Donald Trump for opening the possibility of thrusting the U.S. into war in the Middle East without congressional approval.

Social media posts by some of their Republican counterparts, meanwhile, did not mention the ongoing missile strikes between Israel and Iran but focused instead on domestic issues.

Rep. Summer Lee called Trump’s refusal to rule out involving the American military in the long-simmering Middle Eastern feud a move to use “the escalating crisis … to justify executive overreach.”

“Congressional authorization is not optional — and many are already opposed to being dragged into another endless war,” Lee, a Swissvale Democrat, said in a statement. “The American people have been lied to before and millions—at home and abroad—have paid the price. We cannot allow Trump or anybody else to use somebody else’s war for political gain or financial profit.”

Under the Constitution, only Congress can declare war. The War Powers Act of 1973 “requires that the President shall in every possible instance consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities…” and requires the president to notify Congress about military action within 48 hours.

Republicans silent

On the other end of the political spectrum, Republicans representing the Pittsburgh area stayed largely silent Wednesday about the conflict.

Instead, at least two area representatives tried to drum up support for other Trump-backed initiatives — such as fighting illegal immigration at the Mexican border and pushing Trump’s budget bill through the U.S. Senate.

“I asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about what happens if Congress doesn’t pass the #OneBigBeautifulBill,” U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, a Butler Republican and former chair of the task force that investigated the Butler County assassination attempt on Trump, wrote Tuesday on X.

“His answer was crystal clear,” Kelly said. “ ‘It would be the largest tax hike in history. It would be a disaster for businesses, for working Americans, and for our status in the world.’ ”

The main cost-saving measure in the so-called Big Beautiful Bill — new work requirements for some adults who receive health care through the Medicaid program — would cause an estimated 10.9 million people to lose their health insurance coverage, according to the Associated Press.

About $793 billion out of the bill’s $880 billion in proposed cuts is slated to hit the Energy and Commerce Committee, whose jurisdiction includes Medicaid.

Kelly’s Washington County peer — Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler, R-Peters — didn’t talk on Wednesday about the Iranian capital, Tehran, which has been struck by Israeli missiles along with nuclear and military facilities in the country.

Reschenthaler touted immigration enforcement at America’s southern border.

“A secure border equals a secure America,” Reschenthaler posted to X around 11 a.m. Wednesday. “Gone are the days of an invasion at our southern border — all thanks to President Trump’s leadership.”

Kelly and Reschenthaler did not respond to phone calls or emails Wednesday seeking comment. U.S. Sens. Dave McCormick and John Fetterman also did not respond to media inquiries.

‘Warmongers’ in Congress

The current Middle Eastern conflict erupted when Israel’s military launched a surprise attack Friday on multiple sites it said were connected to Iran’s nuclear program.

Iran responded by shooting ballistic missiles and drones into Israel.

The Associated Press reported at least 585 people dead in Iran, citing a Washington-based Iranian human rights group, and at least 24 fatalities in Israel. Many more people have been injured in both countries.

For Lee, support in Washington, D.C. for a potential march to war with Iran feels “disturbing.”

“It’s disturbing how many warmongers there are in Congress — on both sides of the aisle, really — but I’m not sure when being a Democrat meant normalizing bloodlust for killings abroad,” she posted Tuesday night.

Others raised red flags about what a unilateral Trump move to send American troops to the Middle East would mean.

Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel, writing on the social media platform Blue Sky, called Iran’s uranium enrichment efforts and what some believe is work to build a nuclear weapon “unacceptable.” The U.S. Navy veteran also said the U.S. needs to “do everything we can to protect Americans in the region and to help our Israeli friends.”

“On committing Americans to war, I have been clear: no president has the power to start a war, with Iran or anyone else,” Deluzio wrote.

Deluzio echoed those stances in a Wednesday appearance on CNN.

“The president does not get to decide whether to send Americans to war — and sending a bomber over the skies of another country and dropping a bomb is sending Americans to war,” Deluzio said.

On Monday, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., introduced a resolution that would require a “prompt debate and vote” before the U.S. uses military force against Iran.

‘Nobody knows’

Trump, during a White House event Wednesday to install flag poles, offered few clues about his stance on engaging American troops in an overseas war.

“I may do it. I may not do it. I mean, nobody knows what I’m going to do,” Trump said.

Trump told White House reporters that Iranian officials reached out about negotiations but “it’s very late to be talking,” he said.

The president has demanded “unconditional surrender” from Iran. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Iran will not comply.

“Wise individuals who know Iran, its people and its history never speak to this nation with the language of threats, because the Iranian nation is not one to surrender,” Khamenei said in comments aired on Iranian state TV.

“Americans should know that any military involvement by the U.S. will undoubtedly result in irreparable damage to them,” he added.

Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick took to X Wednesday morning not to discuss foreign wars but to talk up Trump’s role in ushering through the just-finalized deal between U.S. Steel and Japan’s Nippon deal.

“A massive victory for working families in the Mon Valley, our economy, our national security, and America’s manufacturing future!” McCormick wrote. “Congratulations to @POTUS and all who worked to make this important partnership a reality.”

McCormick’s Democratic counterpart, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, has been uncharacteristically quiet online since Israel’s preemptive attack last week.

A vocal backer of Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks there by Hamas that triggered the war in Gaza, Fetterman last posted to X on Monday.

“Time’s up on Iran’s evil regime and its nuclear weapons program,” Fetterman wrote, adding an emoji of the Israeli flag.