Senate votes to uphold the Constitutional checks and balances on war authorization.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate will vote on a war powers resolution reducing President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct military operations against Iran unless authorized by a formal declaration of war or specific statutory authorization from Congress.
Five days into Pres. Trump initiating military strikes against Iran, a slim yet Republican-majority decides on what Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) calls an “illegal, unnecessary war with Iran.”
While introduced as a bipartisan effort by Sen. Kaine and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), most Republicans and one Democrat back Pres. Trump’s actions. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), a vociferous supporter of Israel, has indicated he will vote against the resolution, even calling it an “empty gesture,” and cheered the killing of several dozen Iranian officials, saying, “wiping out 49 leaders of one of the most evil regimes.” The U.S. offensive is a joint operation with Israel that involves targeting Iranian leadership and military infrastructure
Some Republicans are still on the fence. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) remain noncommittal, yet both stressed the protocol to inform Congress of the tactical plans. In a release, Sen. Collins states that “sustained combat operations require full engagement with Congress.”
Standing as the lone GOP opposer, Sen. Paul posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the “Constitution conferred the power to declare or initiate war to Congress for a reason, to make war less likely.”
If passed, the resolution, led by Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rand Paul (R-KY), would direct the immediate removal of U.S. armed forces involved in hostilities against Iran or Venezuela.
As reports show Iran hitting the U.S. Embassy in Dubai, and the war projected initially as days, now to weeks, history shows that the measure faces the odds of passage. Just last month, on January 15, the Senate voted down a war powers resolution to restrict Pres. Trump’s military actions in Venezuela. For it to happen, Vice President JD Vance cast the 50-50 tie-breaking vote.
On the other side of Congress, the House introduced its war resolutions bill a day before the Senate vote.
