Karoline Leavitt Blasts Dems Who Refused To Back Iran ‘Terrorism’ Resolution

A contentious vote on Capitol Hill this week has reignited debate over national security priorities and the growing divide between Republicans and Democrats on how to confront the Iranian regime.

During Friday’s broadcast of America Reports on the Fox News Channel, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sharply criticized dozens of House Democrats who voted against a resolution reaffirming the United States’ long-standing position that the Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

The vote, which took place Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives, saw 53 Democrats oppose the measure despite broad bipartisan agreement on the issue for decades.

Co-host John Roberts framed the controversy by comparing the latest vote to a similar resolution from several years ago.

“Yesterday in the House, there was a vote that was taken to reaffirm the U.S.’s view that Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world. When when a similar vote was taken three years ago, the vote was 420 to 1. Yesterday, 53 Democrats voted against that resolution, prompting Steve Scalise to say, ‘Well, we just had a vote in the House to simply affirm the fact that Iran is the world’s number one state sponsor of terrorism.”

He added: “53 Democrats voted no by denying this basic fact, these radical Democrats are defending the murderous Iranian regime and standing against America.’ I want to invite you to weigh in on this. And as you do that, we’re going to put up on the screen here. Scroll of all of the terror attacks that have occurred since 1979 at the behest of the Iranians. Go ahead.”

Leavitt responded by underscoring the dramatic shift in Democratic support for the measure.

“Well, I couldn’t have said it better myself. Nearly three years ago, in 2023, every single member of the House of Representatives, with the exception of one, voted together on this resolution condemning Iran as the world’s state leading sponsor of terror. This is not just a long-standing bipartisan policy of the United States, but nearly every single country on the planet, especially Western countries, have agreed with this basic premise,” Leavitt began.

“And now in 2026, you have Democrats on Capitol Hill who have been so debilitated by their derangement and their hatred for the man in the Oval Office right now that they cannot even condemn the world’s leading state sponsor of terror,” she added.

Leavitt argued that the opposition was tied to political hostility toward President Donald J. Trump, who is currently serving his second term in the White House.

“Why? Because they are trying desperately to try to undermine President Trump’s essential action that he took to protect the United States of America, to protect our bases and our troops in the Middle East, and to ultimately ensure a more safe and prosperous world, not just in the Middle East, but across the entire globe as well. And that’s just 53 Democrats who have lost their minds,” she said.

Resolution Reaffirms U.S. Position on Iran

The measure, introduced by Florida Republican Brian Mast, ultimately passed the House by a vote of 372–53.

The resolution reiterates the longstanding position of the United States government that Iran remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. Specifically, it states that the Islamic Republic “remains the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism and provides substantial financial and military support to groups including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.”

The resolution also warns that Iran poses a continuing threat to American interests and citizens.

According to the text, Iran “poses a direct and persistent threat to the United States and is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American citizens,” citing Pentagon assessments that “Iranian-backed proxy militias are responsible for the deaths of at least 603 U.S. service members in Iraq — roughly one in every six American combat fatalities.”

Additionally, the resolution references warnings from Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, noting that Iran has accumulated a significant stockpile of enriched uranium while restricting inspections of undeclared nuclear-related sites tied to what the resolution describes as a “big, ambitious nuclear weapons program.”

The measure concludes by reaffirming that it is the official policy of the United States that “Iran continues to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”

Democratic Pushback

Some Democrats who opposed the resolution defended their votes by arguing that the measure was politically motivated.

California Democratic Rep. Lateefah Simon contended that the resolution was designed to support the current administration’s foreign policy decisions.

Simon claimed the measure “contains inaccuracies and is designed to justify the President’s actions in Iran.”

“Republicans in Congress are not only surrendering their constitutional duties – they are also playing politics with a resolution reaffirming Iran as a leading state sponsor of terrorism,” Simon wrote on Facebook. “That is already U.S. policy.”

Still, Republicans argue that reaffirming the policy sends a clear signal of unity against a regime widely accused of financing and directing terrorist organizations across the Middle East. The vote highlights the growing ideological divide in Washington over how aggressively the United States should confront Tehran and defend American interests abroad.