Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are looking to limit President Trump's ability to order U.S. strikes on Iran amid its ongoing war with Israel, emphasizing that only Congress has the power to declare war under the Constitution,
CBS News reports.
"This is not our war," Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said in a post on X Tuesday announcing that he had introduced a measure under the 1973 War Powers Resolution to block U.S. strikes. "Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution."
The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war, and the extent of the president's authority to wade into conflict abroad without the approval of the legislative branch has been challenged in recent years. In 2020, Mr. Trump faced criticism for his decision to strike Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani without notifying congressional leaders.
Massie's resolution aims to force the president to seek congressional approval before entering a war with Iran and would terminate the use of U.S. armed forces against Iran without Congress' expressed approval. It's cosponsored by Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, who urged "every member to go on record" in a post on X on Monday.
"Are you with the neocons who led us into Iraq or do you stand with the American people?" Khanna said.
The privileged resolution would force a vote on the matter within a number of days. The House is currently on recess, but leaders will be forced to engage with the push upon their return. The vote would put Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, in a difficult position, given his strong support of Israel and the president.
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, is leading an effort in the Senate and introduced a similar resolution on Monday that forces a vote on requiring Mr. Trump to get congressional approval or a formal declaration of war to attack Iran, unless the U.S. is defending itself against an imminent attack.
"This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation's men and women in uniform into harm's way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress," Kaine said in a statement.
Kaine said Tuesday he didn't have any cosponsors to announce yet, but "I definitely have interest."
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri said he isn't backing Kaine's resolution, telling reporters that "there's very little danger" of Mr. Trump leading the U.S. into war. But Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, urged Mr. Trump to "go all in" if diplomacy fails.
"If that means providing bombs, provide bombs," Graham said Sunday in an interview with "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan." "If it means flying with Israel, fly with Israel."
