The Trump administration on Tuesday postponed classified briefings for both Senate and House members, as lawmakers continue to seek further information regarding President Donald Trump’s recent directive to carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend, as well as his announcement on Monday that a ceasefire agreement had been reached between the two countries.
Both briefings were cancelled. The Senate session has been rescheduled for Thursday to allow Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to participate, according to several individuals familiar with the revised schedule, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the discussions. It remains unclear when the House will receive its briefing.
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Trump proclaimed on social media that Israel and Iran had agreed that there will be an “Official END” of their conflict. That tentative truce briefly faltered Tuesday when Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace, but Trump later declared it was “in effect!”
Separate briefings for the House and Senate were scheduled to be led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, alongside General Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Deputy Secretaries of State Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg.
Members of Congress from both parties, including Democrats and some Republicans, have raised numerous questions regarding President Trump’s decision to initiate military action without prior consultation. They have argued that the president should have either sought congressional approval or provided a more detailed justification for the strikes.
According to two individuals familiar with the intelligence shared with lawmakers, Congress has not been presented with any new intelligence since March, when Gabbard informed them that the United States did not believe Iran was actively developing a new nuclear weapon. These individuals requested anonymity in order to speak about the classified briefings provided to Congress.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said it is “outrageous” that the administration postponed the briefings.
“There is a legal obligation for the administration to inform Congress about precisely what is happening,” Schumer said. “What are they afraid of? Why won’t they engage Congress in the critical details?”
California Rep. Pete Aguilar, chair of the House Democratic caucus, said that lawmakers “need evidence, we need details and we need to know them now.”
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Many lawmakers feel they have been left in the dark on what led to the strikes and amid escalating tensions between the White House and Congress over the role of the United States internationally — disagreements that don’t always fall along