WASHINGTON — Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) walked out of a closed-door congressional briefing on the Iran war Wednesday and warned that unidentified individuals are pushing the United States toward deeper military involvement, including the deployment of ground troops.
Following the briefing, Mace signaled renewed opposition to any escalation involving U.S. forces on the ground, emphasizing concerns about expanding the scope of the conflict.
“I will not support troops on the ground in Iran, even more so after this briefing,” she said in a post on X.
As Mediaite reports:
Mace added in another post, “The justifications presented to the American public for the war in Iran were not the same military objectives we were briefed on today in the House Armed Services Committee. This gap is deeply troubling. The longer this war continues, the faster it will lose the support of Congress and the American people.”
Politico’s Meredith Lee Hill reported that Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the chair of the Armed Services Committee, also expressed concern about a lack of information regarding sending troops into Iran after the briefing. “The House Republican who chairs the Armed Services Committee – after a classified Iran briefing: Trump admin is not giving Congress enough information about plans for US troops in Middle East,” Lee Hill reported.
Congressional reporter Pablo Manríquez caught up with Mace outside of the Capitol.
“So I’ll be voting against the funding if we’re putting troops on the ground. I’m not gonna fund that. Yeah, no U.S. troops,” Mace told Manríquez, who pushed, “Do you think that the ongoing war makes us more vulnerable to an infrastructure attack?”
“I’m just concerned about a lot of things. I mean, Hezbollah’s here. I mean, the enemy isn’t flying in on planes from Tehran. They’re already here,” Mace warned.
Concerns Over Escalation
Mace’s remarks reflect growing unease among some Republicans about the direction of the conflict, particularly as questions mount over whether the United States could shift from air and naval operations to a broader war aimed at securing concessions from Tehran.
Her warning aligns with broader concerns in Washington that:
- A prolonged conflict could require congressional authorization
- Deploying troops would mark a major escalation beyond current operations
‘Another Iraq’ Warning
While Mace did not explicitly outline classified details from the briefing, her comments echoed concerns from other lawmakers who fear the U.S. could be drawn into a long-term ground war similar to past conflicts in the Middle East. (RELATED: Thousands Of 82nd Airborne Paratroopers Ordered To Middle East)
Some Republicans have increasingly voiced caution about:
- The duration and scope of military action
- The potential for mission creep
- The political and strategic costs of a sustained war
Growing GOP Divide
Mace’s stance highlights a divide within the Republican Party:
- Many GOP lawmakers continue to support Trump’s strikes on Iran
- Others are drawing a line at boots on the ground
Earlier, Mace had already publicly stated opposition to deploying U.S. troops, posting “No U.S. Troops in Iran” amid reports of military buildup.
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Dear Congress,
You are not being told anything because you can’t keep your flap traps shut and fall over yourselves to leak to the MSM.
You don’t tell the enemy your plans.
Count on Congress to screw it up.
Boots on the ground if totally necessary. But then, get them out of there once they do what has to be done!
I was a Marine in Vietnam. We do NOT need that again, but we most certainly DO need to destroy the radical government of Iran.
If not now … they will be back stronger than ever.
And back possibly with nuclear weapons and long range delivery systems that will be able to reach the U.S.
NOT GOOD!