Rubio Unloads On Reporter Who Asks Why Trump Didn’t Notify Congress Before Striking Iran
Secretary of State Marco Rubio forcefully defended President Donald Trump’s decision to launch joint U.S.–Israel strikes against Iran without broader congressional notification beforehand, pushing back on reporters who questioned the administration’s handling of Congress.
During a press gaggle on Monday, a reporter asked why Congress had not been notified ahead of the military action. Rubio immediately rejected the premise.
? BREAKING: Sec. Marco Rubio is on FIRE right now
“Why not notify Congress?!”
RUBIO: “We can’t notify 535 members of Congress. Vote on whatever they want. There’s NO law saying we have to do that.”
“We did notify the Gang of 8…NO LAW requires the president! NO presidential… pic.twitter.com/nrtf9sWNFt
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) March 2, 2026
“Well, we did,” Rubio responded. “We notified Congress, well, we notified the Gang of Eight, we notified congressional leadership. There’s no law that says we have to do that. The law says that we have to notify them 48 hours after beginning hostilities. We’ve done that. I think the notification went today.”
The Gang of Eight refers to the top Republican and Democratic leaders in both chambers of Congress, along with the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Rubio emphasized that the administration complied with legal requirements under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which mandates that Congress be informed within 48 hours of the introduction of U.S. forces into hostilities or imminent hostilities.
“But we did notify members of Congress in advance,” Rubio added. “We can’t notify 535 members of Congress.”
When another reporter suggested Congress should vote to authorize the action, Rubio responded sharply.
“Congress can vote on whatever they want, but there’s no law saying we have to do that,” he said. “If they want to take a War Powers vote, they can do that. They’ve done that a bunch of times.”
Rubio also challenged the broader assumption that the War Powers Act strictly binds the executive branch.
“To begin with, no presidential administration has ever accepted the War Powers Act as constitutional, not Republican presidents, not Democratic presidents,” Rubio said. “That said, we have followed the notification at 48 hours, and we’re here today.”
Drawing on his own experience in Congress, Rubio added, “I’ve done more Gang of Eight briefings than I got in four years of Biden. I was in the Gang of Eight. We complied with the law and we will continue to comply with it.”
Under the War Powers Resolution, the president may conduct military operations for up to 60 days without congressional authorization, with an additional 30 days allowed for troop withdrawal, unless Congress votes to approve continued action.
The exchange comes as several Democratic lawmakers have called for votes to curb Trump’s war authority following the strikes on Iran, while the administration maintains it acted fully within its constitutional and statutory powers.