Democrats Who Railed Against Trump’s Iran Strikes Say It Was ‘Very Different’ When Obama Bombed Libya
Democratic leaders blasting President Donald Trump’s military strikes against Iran say the situation differs from the 2011 bombing campaign in Libya carried out under former President Barack Obama.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries criticized the Trump administration following the strikes on Iran, arguing that the president failed to seek authorization from Congress before launching military operations. Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin asked Jeffries why Democrats insist that Trump must seek congressional approval for strikes against Iran, when some party leaders have previously defended Obama’s decision to launch air operations in Libya without explicit congressional authorization.
“In 2011, Nancy Pelosi said that then-President Obama did not need congressional approval to bomb Libya. Today, House Democrats say President Trump does need approval to bomb Iran. What’s the difference?” Melugin asked the minority leader.
WATCH:
NEW: I asked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) about Nancy Pelosi saying in 2011 that President Obama didn’t need congressional approval to bomb Libya, but Democrats are now saying President Trump needs approval to bomb Iran?
Jeffries said Iran is “very different” and told me: “I… pic.twitter.com/SkLr1R5wr1
– Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 3, 2026
“Well, obviously, Libya and the circumstances surrounding it were very different from the circumstances that we’re facing in Iran right now. I mean, I don’t even understand the genesis or the basis of that question. I suggest you’re not asking the question in good faith. Libya lasted seven months, as I indicated,” Jeffries responded. “First of all, I wasn’t in Congress at the time. So we’re faced with what we’re facing right now, which is a catastrophic, never-ending war, as Donald Trump has characterized it, without any justification for there to be an assault or a preeminent attack on the United States of America, either at home or with respect to our interests in the Middle East.”
U.S. officials said Trump’s Operation Epic Fury aimed to eliminate “imminent threats” from the Iranian regime, including missile capabilities and potential development of nuclear weapons. The Trump administration said the goal of the strikes was to defend the United States by neutralizing threats posed by Iran’s military infrastructure and leadership.
Melugin then contacted former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office for a statement on the matter. Pelosi’s office argued that the two conflicts cannot be compared.
NEW: I contacted Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) office to ask what her position was in 2011 that President Obama did not need Congressional approval to bomb Libya for 7 months, and how does that fit with his current position on Trump/Iran?
Declaration to @FoxNews 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/5tMp3EUXf9
– Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) March 3, 2026
“There is an absolute distinction between limited military operations in Libya and the widespread and escalating war with Iran initiated by President Trump. “Speaker Pelosi’s position has been consistent: When the prospect of expanded or prolonged hostilities exists, the Constitution and the War Powers Act make clear that Congress must authorize it,” the statement said. “Meanwhile, President Trump’s position is completely inconsistent: he breaks his promise not to start new wars, vacillates in his justification for this war and shifts the objectives of his war.
Pelosi’s assertion that the intervention in Libya was only a “limited military operation” contrasts with reports that the U.S.-backed NATO campaign lasted about seven months and involved thousands of air strike missions against Libyan forces afterward. Obama ordered the strikes without seeking authorization from Congress.
The intervention sparked a major debate in Washington over whether the administration had bypassed Congress on the War Powers Resolution, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. NATO operation ultimately played role in collapse of Libyan leader’s regime Muammar Gaddafi.
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