U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), the most vocal Democrat in the Senate supporting President Trump’s decision to strike Iran, was questioned about the authority of the President to order such strikes without a congressional vote.
When Fetterman answered, “The last war we actually declared was World War II,” CNN’s Manu Raju replied, “No, Iraq and Afghanistan.” As seen below, the mention of Iraq and Afghanistan caught Fetterman off guard.
(Fetterman, who has a history of medical issues, drew less concern in the comments for this detail than for his apparent struggles to stay on point and articulate his answers generally. One wrote: “he is not physically well and needs care and to retire….. It’s actually sad that no one from congress or Pennsylvania has stepped in.”)
Fetterman is trying to answer questions from reporters and he’s having a hard time to put it mildly pic.twitter.com/A8l7RyV7eP
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 3, 2026
[Note: Congress did not officially declare war in Iraq and Afghanistan, it passed Authorizations of Use of Military Force (AUMFs) which are different. According to the Council on Foreign Affairs, while the President as commander-in-chief has wide latitude to respond to threats, the White House needs Congress’s permission to use military force abroad for any operation lasting longer than sixty days.]
According to the U.S. Senate: “Congress approved its last formal declaration of war during World War II. Since that time it has agreed to resolutions authorizing the use of military force and continues to shape U.S. military policy through appropriations and oversight.”
A similar encounter occurred between Raju and U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA). When Raju asked Ernst, “Why shouldn’t Congress have voted to authorize this war before it began, given that service members are losing their lives?”
Why shouldn’t Congress have voted to authorize war in Iran?
Ernst: “I would love for anyone to name the last time Congress authorized operations or strikes in other countries.”
What about Afghanistan and Iraq?
Ernst as elevator doors close: “We’re are just a few days in.” pic.twitter.com/DxcNSTMtOn
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) March 4, 2026
Ernst, a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve who served in the Iraq War, and who has a daughter who serves on active duty, replied, “I would love for anyone to name the last time Congress authorized operations or strikes in other countries.” When Raju replied and repeated, “Iraq and Afghanistan,” Ernst said, “We’re are just a few days in.”