US lawmakers push back on deeper military role in Israeli war on Iran
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Republican and Democratic lawmakers express growing concern over the risk of the US entanglement in the Israeli war on Iran.
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Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., speaks during a television news interview at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, June 14, 2024 (AP)
As the Israeli war on Iran escalates, a growing chorus of US lawmakers, particularly among Republicans, is warning against deeper US military involvement, citing public exhaustion with endless wars and the risk of broadening the confrontation into a regional or even global crisis.
“We don’t need another endless war in the Middle East,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tennessee) during an interview on CNN News Central. “Old men make decisions and young men die, and that’s the history of war.”
Burchett, a longtime non-interventionist, emphasized that the US already provides extensive support to "Israel" through military aid and intelligence. “We give Israel about $4 billion a year and other military assets; I think we should allow them to fight this thing,” he said. “We need to do what’s right and not what our stock portfolios say.”
Pushback on Hawkish calls for action
While some Republicans, most notably Senator Lindsey Graham, have alleged that Iran’s nuclear infrastructure poses a direct threat to the United States and warrants preemptive strikes, Burchett dismissed the notion that Iran has either the reach or intent to attack the US homeland.
“I’m pretty confident Iran has the capabilities of nuclear war, but they can’t get to us,” he said. “They can’t get past Greece with their missiles. I think if they had, they would have already launched them.”
Burchett urged lawmakers and the White House to avoid entanglement. “I think we need to take a deep breath and slow down this thing and let the Israelis do their thing. We do not need a three-front war in our lifetime," he said.
Greene: Americans are 'sick and tired' of foreign wars
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), a prominent Trump ally, echoed similar sentiments, warning that the American public has little appetite for another military campaign in West Asia.
“For decades, we’ve watched our men and women in uniform go all over the world and fight in wars that most Americans don’t think that our country should have been in,” Greene told The Times from her Capitol Hill office. “Americans are very sick and tired of that.”
Her remarks came just days before the latest wave of Israeli strikes inside Iranian territory, which has drawn further scrutiny over US support and the potential for spillover war.
More transparency needed
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are calling for more transparency as tensions rise. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Wednesday that he has formally requested a classified briefing for all 100 senators on the unfolding situation.
“We've gotten briefings, and I have requested that we get an all-senators classified briefing,” Schumer said, adding that he expects the request to be approved shortly.
Read more: Trump risks opening 'Pandora's Box' with Iran, analyst warns
