data-template=”https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5666×3777+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F51%2F3c%2Feb9d09f64604a7f3298ae96a26a2%2Fgettyimages-2265791477.jpg” class=”img” alt=”Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) speaks to reporters after attending a closed door briefing with Senate Armed Service Committee at the U.S. Capitol Building on March 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. The committee held the briefing to hear from officials on "Operation Epic Fury" and the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict against Iran.” fetchpriority=”high” />
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) speaks to reporters after attending a closed door briefing with Senate Armed Service Committee at the U.S. Capitol Building on March 10, 2026 in Washington, DC. The committee held the briefing to hear from officials on “Operation Epic Fury” and the ongoing U.S.-Israel conflict against Iran.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
hide caption
toggle caption
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
Senate Democrats are demanding public hearings with testimony from top Trump administration officials as the White House offers mixed messaging on the war’s central objectives and timeline.
White House officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have held a series of classified briefings with lawmakers since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.
Following a closed-door briefing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday morning, Democrats said the classified nature of these briefings hamstrings lawmakers from being transparent with their constituents about key components of the war.
“Here we are well into the second week, and it is still the case that the Trump administration cannot explain the reasons that we entered this war, the goals we’re trying to accomplish, and the methods for doing that,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., upon leaving the briefing.
Administration officials have offered various — and sometimes conflicting — justifications for the war, referencing Iran’s growing ballistic missile program, its naval fleet, its network of terror proxy groups across the Middle East, and its nuclear ambitions.
Overall, congressional Republicans have publicly supported the war. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday the war could be “generational in terms of its impact.”
“Not only for that region, but for the entire world, because they continued — Iran — to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world. They are on the way to nuclear capability, and they’re holding that entire region hostage and American interests as well,” he said at a weekly press conference. “So I think this was an important mission to accomplish, and hopefully it’ll be accomplished soon.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also defended the war while speaking with reporters at an annual GOP retreat at Trump’s Doral resort.
“I think that this current operation was by design limited in scope and in mission,” Johnson said. “I think the mission is being achieved, is nearly completed, and the commander in chief himself said in the last 24 hours it will come to a close.”
Despite comments from Trump that the war could be nearing a close, lawmakers are anticipating a request from the White House for more funding.
An exact timeframe or dollar amount for supplemental funding for the war has not been provided yet. Warren stated that she would not support such a measure currently due to the lack of logical estimates about when the war will end. Senator Jacky Rosen described the information from the briefing as not just concerning, but disturbing. There is uncertainty about the end game and plans for after the war, with President Trump not presenting any clear strategies. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer emphasized the need for public hearings to understand the reasons behind sending troops into war. Trump mentioned progress in achieving military objectives in a recent press conference. Lawmakers are debating war powers and the role of Congress, with Senate Democrats planning regular votes until public hearings are held on the Iran war. Speaker Johnson highlighted the military’s need for additional funding even before the war with Iran.
He contended that using reconciliation, a partisan legislative tool, could be utilized to secure funding as part of a broader GOP strategy to tackle fraud and affordability issues.
Reconciliation would enable Republicans to pass the legislation with a simple majority in the Senate, sidestepping the typical requirement of 60 votes for most bills and eliminating the need for Democratic support.
“Some of these actions need to be taken as a partisan initiative, and reconciliation provides the means to do so,” Johnson remarked during a press briefing at the ongoing GOP annual retreat.
Last year, Republicans leveraged reconciliation to pass a significant tax and spending package. The feasibility of passing a similar plan this year, given the slim margins, remains uncertain.
Thune informed the media that the military’s current funding is robust. However, he refrained from expressing a stance on a spending proposal.
