'Excuse me, this is war': GOP Rep fires back at Mike Johnson
Johnson said the United States is not at war following recent strikes in Iran, prompting Massie’s public rebuttal.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYRaw Story is an established, openly partisan outlet that publishes attributed reporting, but it is not a newspaper of record and this brief article offers limited independent sourcing. The page identifies an author and provides a corrections contact.
- Source type — An established national outlet with a discernible partisan orientation.
- Track record — The outlet publishes political reporting, but this short item relies on limited sourcing.
- Author attribution — The article names an author.
- Editorial standards — A corrections contact is provided, though the article gives little detail on editorial standards.
The article includes direct quotes from both lawmakers and reports the House tally, but provides little context about the strikes, the resolution’s provisions, or the competing arguments. Its account of the Senate action is attributed to Newsweek.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article quotes both lawmakers and reports the vote tally, but it is brief and gives little detail about the arguments for or against the resolution or the military action.
- Counterarguments presented — Johnson’s statement and Massie’s opposing response are both included.
- Source diversity — The account relies chiefly on the two lawmakers’ statements and a Newsweek attribution for the Senate vote.
- Omitted context — The text does not explain the resolution’s terms or provide broader context on the strikes.
The report uses mostly neutral language and quotes both Johnson and Massie, though the headline and framing foreground Massie’s rebuttal to Johnson.
- Language tone — The article is mostly factual, with no sustained evaluative language.
- Framing — The headline emphasizes a lawmaker’s pushback against Johnson.
- Source selection — It includes statements from both sides of the exchange.
After U.S. strikes in Iran, House Speaker Mike Johnson said the country was not at war; Rep. Thomas Massie disputed him, arguing Congress must authorize military action. The House had rejected a war powers resolution 212-219 the previous day.
Following recent U.S. strikes in Iran, Mike Johnson said, “We are not at war” and that the United States had no intention of being at war. The House had rejected a war powers resolution 212-219 the day before, after the Senate defeated a similar proposal, according to Newsweek.
Thomas Massie responded on social media that “this is war” and argued that Congress’s constitutional duty to authorize war is not changed by how officials describe the situation. The article says Massie and Ro Khanna sponsored the measure that became known as the War Powers Resolutions.
Community verdict
27 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Representative who challenged Johnson’s description of the conflict and argued Congress must authorize military action
Massie's version of this story ↗Representative and co-sponsor of the War Powers Resolutions
Part of a bigger story
4 OUTLETSOutlets agree that Johnson said the United States is not at war with Iran amid U.S. strikes. Left-leaning outlets stress that other officials describe the operation as a war and highlight a lawmaker’s rebuttal. Right-leaning outlets focus on Johnson and fellow Republicans rejecting that characterization, along with his objection to a War Powers resolution.
- ARTICLES
- 5
- OUTLETS
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- AVG CRED
- 57
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