Sen. Chris Murphy says Democratic senators should block or delay all legislation until a war authorization for President Donald Trump’s military intervention in Iran gets a vote in the Senate.
“Democrats should not just pretend like this is normal,” Murphy told NOTUS’ Reese Gorman on the latest episode of the On NOTUS podcast. “We shouldn’t let Republicans debate other legislation until they bring a war authorization to the United States Senate.”
The House and Senate both voted against a resolution last week that would have limited Trump’s war powers in Iran. Murphy, who voted in favor of the resolution, said Congress must go further, calling on both the president and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to bring a declaration of war vote to Congress.
Until they do, Murphy argued, Democrats should protest by refusing to debate other bills.
“Right now we’re debating a housing bill,” Murphy said. “It’s a pretty benign housing bill. I mean, really, we’re going to debate and amend a bill on housing while there are potentially dozens of American dead bodies coming back from an unauthorized war overseas? This is an emergency. We should act like it’s an emergency.”
The Connecticut senator has risen to national attention in recent years as a member of the Foreign Relations Committee and an outspoken voice on international affairs. He criticized Trump for Israel in international actions that he says do not benefit the United States.
“We have no treaty obligation to support Israel in every single one of their military endeavors, and their actions in Gaza have not been in the U.S. interest, their actions in Iran have not been in our interest,” Murphy said. “And we need to be ready to say to them — and Trump has not been ready to say to them — ‘listen, you’re going too far in this, we will not join you.’”
Murphy has been floated as a potential presidential contender in 2028. Without saying he would or wouldn’t run, Murphy said Democrats need a messenger who can focus on a “spiritual rebirth” in the United States.
“Something’s rotten at the core of this nation right now,” Murphy said. “There’s a selfishness. There’s a lack of concern for our neighbors. There’s a normalization of corruption and graft that’s happening. So I think the conversation as we get closer to 2028 has to be not only about defeating MAGA, restoring and repairing from the damage that’s been done, but how do we build a kinder country?”
Chris Murphy on What Democrats Need to Do to Counter Trump on Iran
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, is one of the most outspoken members of his party when it comes to foreign policy. In this week’s On NOTUS, Murphy speaks with host Reese Gorman about why he thinks Democrats need to block all legislation in the Senate until there’s a vote on war authorization with Iran. He also discusses how his party can talk about affordability in the context of the war and what he thinks a 2028 nominee for president needs to bring to the table.
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