House Majority Leader Steve Scalise on Sunday declined to rule out the possibility of U.S. ground troops entering Iran, saying discussions are ongoing as the conflict passes the one-month mark.
"There are no boots on the ground today, but we're having a lot of conversations about what could happen next," the Louisiana Republican said on ABC News' "This Week." "But I think most people, most civilized people, recognize a nuclear-armed Iran is not an option that any of us want."
Some congressional Republicans are raising concerns about further escalation.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., has said President Donald Trump would need congressional authorization before deploying ground forces.
When asked whether he agreed, Scalise did not directly respond, instead pointing to briefings lawmakers have received.
"The president has already come to Congress," Scalise said. "They've let all of the congressional leadership know in advance of the strikes, but they've also had briefings on Capitol Hill."
Scalise said he attended a classified briefing with lawmakers from both parties, where officials answered questions from members.
Trump did not formally seek congressional authorization before the conflict began, though his administration notified a select group of top lawmakers, known as the Gang of Eight, ahead of the initial strikes.
The president has referred to the operation as a war while also noting he did not seek formal authorization.
Scalise declined to say whether Republicans would support deploying ground troops if the situation escalates.
"We're not at that point yet," he said. "So until that day comes, I'm not going to speculate, and you're not going to see the president go negotiate this in public."
In a separate interview on "This Week," Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., criticized the administration's handling of the conflict and said Congress should not approve additional funding.
"This is a war that is now making us less, not more safe, and has already cost American lives, is costing billions of dollars every day, oil and gas prices are going up," Van Hollen said. "So no, we should not keep funding an illegal war of choice that's making us less safe."
Van Hollen also said congressional briefings have lacked clarity, adding that officials have not outlined a clear objective or endgame for the conflict.
"I have been to these briefings," he said. "What you learned in these briefings is exactly what you're hearing outside the briefings, which is they don't have any particular objective. It's a constantly changing objective. And there's no endgame whatsoever."
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