Moran Minute: President Trump was right to act. Here’s why.

Dear East Texans,

President Trump and I agree: Iran must never possess a nuclear weapon. When it became clear that Iran posed an immediate threat, the United States acted swiftly and decisively.

On Saturday night, Operation Midnight Hammer was launched. U.S. B-2 Spirit bombers flew nearly 40 hours undetected, striking nuclear sites at Fordo and Natanz. At the same time, a U.S. submarine launched Tomahawk missiles at Isfahan. It was the most successful B-2 operation in U.S. history, and a clear message to Iran and the world.

While Democrats scramble to score political points and even float impeachment over President Trump’s response to Iran, their argument holds no water. They claim the Commander in Chief acted without authority—ignoring decades of precedent, constitutional powers, and clear threats to American security. This is simply not a valid argument and detracts from the success of the military operation–a severe setback for Iran’s nuclear program.

This action wasn’t just justified—it was constitutional.

Under Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the Constitution, the President—as Commander-In-Chief—has the authority to respond to immediate threats and to act expediently when necessary to defend our national security even before authorization from Congress. That authority has been reaffirmed by the United States Supreme Court.  For instance, in 1863, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of President Lincoln’s 1861 order to blockade Southern ports and seize ships, even though no formal declaration of war or authorization had been issued by Congress.

President Trump’s actions are also consistent with the War Powers Act of 1973 (also known as the “War Powers Resolution”) which reaffirms the balance between the Article I powers of the Legislative branch and Article II powers of the Executive branch relating to military conflicts and war powers and attempts to bring more clarity to that balance. Under the War Powers Resolution, the President must provide 48 hours’ notice after committing armed forces to military action, but forbids continued use of those forces for more than 60 days (or 90 days in certain circumstances) without authorization by Congress—either via an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) or Declaration of War. President Trump’s actions were consistent with this statute.

In practice, the distinction between Article I and Article II powers has also been evident (though not perfect and certainly not correct all the time). Throughout U.S. history, Congress has declared war only five times against a foreign nation, yet it has carried out more than 200 military operations have been carried out under executive authority.

In short, President Trump made the right call. He took quick, necessary, and short-term action to severely decrease the imminent threat that the Iranian nuclear program posed to the United States. The leaders of Iran repeatedly chant “Death to America” and were preparing, over decades, to have a nuclear weapon. And, they were getting too close.  In light of these realities, President Trump took lawful, strategic, and necessary action—action that prior administrations should have taken. And, he made clear that we were not at war with Iran, but that these were limited strategic strikes to take out Iran’s nuclear bomb-making capabilities. We see the effectiveness of these strikes already, and we now see by way of the quick cease fire why this was not an instance when authorization from Congress was required.

Watch my full remarks on CBS 19, KLTV, and KTRE. 

Reaffirming Our Strength on the World Stage

In Warsaw, we tackled some of the most pressing issues of our time: trade, energy security, defense cooperation, and the rise of artificial intelligence. I emphasized the role East Texas plays in strengthening global energy security, especially through American LNG exports, which our European allies view as a lifeline in the face of Russian aggression and energy manipulation. I also urged European Parliament members to support President Trump’s press for a 5% commitment on defense spending. Since our discussions, 32 European leaders pledged to NATO to increase their defense spending to 5% of their GDP.

I also made clear to our EU counterparts that the trade reset by United States was necessary because of the numerous non-tariff trade barriers that the EU has imposed on U.S. products and services for years—barriers like heightened licensing and regulatory burdens for U.S. companies, high domestic subsidies for many of Europe’s industries, placement of quotas on American products, and passage of bills like the Digital Marketing Act, the Digital Services Act, and use of the OECD to unfairly tax American companies.

From there, I continued leading the delegation to Prague, Czech Republic. There, we engaged in high-level discussions with President Pavel, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and others on countering Chinese Communist Party influence right here in America, and abroad in Europe, the role of defense spending within NATO, and the economic opportunities and vulnerabilities that exist across both of our regions. The Czech Republic is one of our strongest allies in Europe and is also firmly committed to the defense of Israel.  They recently purchased 24 F-35s from the United States and—over the past 5 years—have increased imports from the United States by 53%. They’ve divested their dependence on Russian energy and are making major investments in the United States.

The United States has always led the world in innovation—but that leadership is at risk. I recently published an op-ed in The Hill exposing a quiet but dangerous threat to our economic future: unelected judges at the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) are undermining the very protections that allow American inventors and businesses to succeed.

As a member of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, I’ve seen firsthand how China exploits weak spots in our system to steal U.S. intellectual property and gain a competitive edge. The judicial overreach happening at the PTAB plays right into their hands—and it reverses much of the progress made under President Trump to hold China accountable.

If we don’t act, we risk handing over America’s hard-earned edge in innovation to our greatest adversary.

➡️ Read the full op-ed in The Hill. 

This week, I had the opportunity to speak at the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law Center for Transnational Law and Business in Washington, D.C. My remarks centered on three pillars essential to our national strength: U.S. global technological leadership, the protection of intellectual property rights, and the defense of our national security.

On June 28, 2007 the bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list. This was a significant conservation success, as the bald eagle’s population had recovered substantially after being listed as endangered in 1967.

Dealing with federal agencies can be complicated, and my office is here to help. If you need help with Social Security, the IRS, passport renewals, the VA, or other federal agencies, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office by calling (903) 561-6349 or visiting my website.

It is an honor to be your voice in Congress.

With gratitude,

Nathaniel Moran

Member of Congress