WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The U.S. and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites used by Iranian-backed Houthi forces in the Middle East.

President Joe Biden is calling the operation a success.

“I’m glad we finally did something, but we need to do more,” said U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, (R-Texas).

McCaul applauded Thursday night’s strikes but stressed the U.S. has to maintain its strength in the region.

“They only understand one thing and that’s force and power,” McCaul said. “And we need to project that.”

President Biden said the U.S and U.K. strikes were a direct response to recent Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthi’s largest attack came Tuesday, directly targeting American ships.

“That cannot be tolerated,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, (D-R.I.).

Reed and McCaul also worry about the economic effects of the Houthi attacks, which have slowed 20% of the world’s trade.

“This will raise the prices by the way of goods back home here when inflation is hitting,” McCaul said.

The White House said it’s too early to determine how the U.S. and U.K. strikes will impact the economy, but militarily, they got the job done.

“We know that each and every target was militarily significant to the Houthi’s ability so we’ll see where that goes,” said John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesperson.  

McCaul said President Biden notified Congress before the strikes.

“I was with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at his residence last night when the call came in,” he said.  

However, some lawmakers, even in the president’s own party, are criticizing him for not requesting their approval.

“They are not authorized by Congress to be doing what they’re doing right now in the Red Sea,” McCaul said.   

McCaul, who chairs the House committee that can authorize military force, said that could come down the line, but the White House defends its decision.

“We’re very comfortable and confident in the legal authorities the president exercised to conduct these strikes,” Kirby said.  

The Pentagon confirmed Houthi forces have fired at least one missile Friday in retaliation for the U.S. and U.K. strikes.