Resolutions Aimed at Limiting Trump’s War Powers Gain Support on Capitol Hill as Israel-Iran War Heats Up

Both the House and Senate are expected to vote on resolutions aimed at limiting President Trump’s war powers in the coming days and weeks. The sprint by legislators to assert some kind of authority over foreign affairs comes as Mr. Trump had to cut his G-7 summit visit short as the Israel–Iran war is heating up. Mr. Trump alarmed several members of Congress on Monday night when he wrote on Truth Social: “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran.” Shortly after, he left the G-7 summit in the Canadian Rockies to fly back to Washington due to the situation in the Middle East. Exactly 36 minutes after Mr. Trump issued his evacuation recommendation, Congressman Thomas Massie wrote that he would introduce a resolution that would bar the United States military from participating in any attack on Iran. “This is not our war,” Mr. Massie says. “But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”“I’m introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution … to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution,” he said. One anti-war Democrat, Congressman Ro Khanna, says he is co-leading the effort with Mr. Massie. A number of liberal House Democrats have signed on, while some hardcore conservatives have signaled their opposition to any kind of American involvement in Israel’s strikes on Iran. “It’s time for every member to go on record. Are you with the neocons who led us into Iraq or do you stand with the American people?” Mr. Khanna said in a post on X. The California congressman says it will be introduced as a privileged resolution, meaning that it will have to receive a vote within three business days after it is put on the floor. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, both members of the so-called Squad, said they are also backing the Massie–Khanna war powers resolution. “It’s [unconstitutional] for Trump to go to war without a vote in Congress,” Ms. Tlaib writes in an X post. In another, the Detroit congresswoman claims that this is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s war — not America’s. “Let’s be clear: Netanyahu is playing us. This is about staying in power for him. He is a war criminal,” she said. It isn’t just Mr. Massie — a longtime detractor of Mr. Trump’s — and liberal Democrats demanding that America stay out of this war. One of the president’s closest allies in the House, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, says in no scenario should the United States get involved in a war that does not threaten American military assets or civilians. Ms. Greene also agreed with Ms. Tlaib that this is a war not for Israel’s security, but for Mr. Netanyahu’s political survival. “The polling is showing that if an election was held today, he would lose,” Ms. Greene told One American News Network on Monday night. “That’s why the bombs are falling.”One of Israel’s biggest defenders in the House, Congressman Mike Lawler, panned the Massie–Khanna resolution. He says in no scenario can Iran be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. “If AOC and Massie are a yes, that’s a good bet that I’ll be a no,” Mr. Lawler says. “A nuclear Iran will seek to eradicate Israel and all but ensure WWIII. We cannot allow that to happen. We must stand with Israel.”On the other side of the Capitol, Senator Kaine is pushing a similar resolution that would bar Mr. Trump from using his powers as commander-in-chief unless the United States was facing an imminent threat or if he came to Congress for a declaration of war or for an authorization for use of military force. “The question of whether United States forces should be engaged in hostilities against Iran should be answered following a full briefing to Congress and the American public of the issues at stake, a public debate in Congress, and a congressional vote as contemplated by the Constitution,” Mr. Kaine’s resolution states. A vote on that measure could come as soon as next week. Mr. Kaine tells the Sun that he has spoken with some of his Republican colleagues, who have told him they would “likely” back his resolution, though he’s letting them make that decision on their own time. “I’ve had some who tell me they’re likely to support it. They’re making their own decisions about when they announce that or when they sign on,” the Virginia senator says. Responding to Mr. Trump’s claim on Truth Social on Tuesday that the United States had located Iran’s supreme leader, Mr. Kaine said the escalating threats from the White House were part of the inspiration for his resolution. “It’s why I filed the resolution,” Mr. Kaine says. “I mean, there are definitely some mixed messages and he definitely has parts of his team urging no war in the Middle East, and another saying that he’s supposed to be ahead.”

Resolutions Aimed at Limiting Trump’s War Powers Gain Support on Capitol Hill as Israel-Iran War Heats Up

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