Democrats pressure Mike Johnson to keep House in Washington over 'rapidly developing' Iran operation

FIRST ON FOX: A group of Democrats is demanding that Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., keep the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C., next week in light of the "rapidly evolving" situation in Iran.

"The attacks have resulted in heightened threat assessments around the globe as well as multiple deaths, including the tragic loss of six U.S. service members. At this sensitive time, we believe it is in the best interest of our constituents if we remain in session as events continue to develop," they wrote to the chamber's leader on Friday.

The letter is being led by Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and nine other members of the House Democratic Caucus, and comes nearly a week after the U.S. and Israel first launched strikes targeting Iran's senior leadership and military assets.

They're calling on Johnson to not only keep the House in session but encourage meetings of the committees relevant to U.S. national security in light of the heightened threat environment.

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"By the President’s own admission, current military operations against Iran could be sustained for weeks. The rapid developments of such an operation, and its potential impact here at home, require a firm commitment to legislative engagement," the Democrats wrote.

"If the House of Representatives is absent during such a pivotal moment in our foreign policy, we will be failing our constituents. We urge you to cancel next week’s recess so that we may fulfill our oversight duty."

Democrats and Republicans' responses to the operation have largely fallen across party lines.

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Democrats have accused the administration of plunging the U.S. into another Middle East conflict without a clear ending while running roughshod over Congress' constitutional authority. Republicans, meanwhile, maintain that the White House is acting within its authority in the best interests of the country.

The House is out all next week as Republican lawmakers head to President Donald Trump's Doral golf club in Florida for their annual member retreat, where they will continue to monitor developments in Washington while discussing policy for the remainder of this year.

Democrats had their own annual retreat in late February.

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But as Democrats hammer Johnson for leaving D.C., Republicans are accusing them of playing politics with the national security situation themselves.

House GOP leaders held a vote on funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) using a bipartisan bill that Democrats had already walked away from weeks ago, arguing it did not do enough to rein in Trump's immigration crackdown.

Republicans argued that the ongoing situation with Iran is worsening the effects of the ongoing DHS shutdown, which began after Democrats shunned the initial bipartisan deal.

All but four House Democrats voted against the bill on Thursday.

"They do not want to fund the agencies whose job it is to keep Americans safe at this time of this heightened threat environment that we're all living in," Johnson said after the vote. "We're concerned about sleeper cells in the country. We're concerned about the safety of every American. And the Democrats are playing politics here."

A House GOP leadership aide told Fox News Digital in response to Moskowitz's letter, "Bipartisan majorities in both chambers of Congress just voted to support President Trump and Operation Epic Fury because they know the Iranian regime is a real threat to American security and Middle East stability. By contrast, most House Democrats, including Rep. Moskowitz, voted to keep the Department of Homeland Security closed in order to protect the criminal illegal immigrants they allowed into our country."