Senior Democrats have sharply criticized Republicans in the US Congress for failing to oppose President Donald Trump’s war on Iran, describing them as “gelatinous blobs” and “rubber stamps” for surrendering their constitutional authority.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen made the remarks while campaigning in Michigan for Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. They argued that the Republican-controlled Congress has ceded its power over war declarations to the president, undermining the constitutional system of checks and balances.

"The Republicans have all had their spines surgically removed," Warren said. "I mean, they’re just gelatinous blobs that kind of make it through the United States Senate."

Warren emphasized that the Constitution establishes three separate branches of government, each expected to guard its own powers jealously. She warned that with Trump in the White House and Republicans in Congress unwilling to assert their authority, the balance of power has been lost.

Van Hollen echoed these concerns, stating, "At some point, these Republican senators are going to have to explain to their constituents why they’ve contracted out their constitutional responsibilities to Donald Trump, because that’s what they’re doing. So long as you have a majority of senators who are turning over their constitutional responsibilities to Donald Trump, then they’re just rubber stamps for Donald Trump’s illegal war."

He also pledged not to support any further funding for the conflict, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s recent request to the appropriations committee.

The war remains unpopular among Americans, with a Washington Post-Ipsos poll showing only 29% approval of Trump’s handling of the situation and 69% disapproval.

The senators urged their Republican colleagues to join Democrats in reasserting Congress’s constitutional role in decisions about war and peace.

Sources