US Congress To Vote On Trump’s Military Action In Iran

The United States Congress is set to vote this week on motions aimed at restricting President Donald Trump’s authority as he prosecutes a war against Iran, amid mounting criticism that he bypassed lawmakers and violated constitutional limits.

The votes are expected in both chambers, but the Republican majority is widely anticipated to shield Trump from any binding restriction.

Trump, who returned to the White House in 2025, has been accused of aggressively expanding executive powers, sidelining Congress despite its constitutional authority to declare war.

“Trump has launched an unnecessary, idiotic, and illegal war against Iran,” Senator Tim Kaine wrote on X shortly after the United States and Israel commenced coordinated military operations overnight Friday into Saturday.

Kaine had, in late January, introduced legislation requiring Trump to seek congressional authorisation before engaging in military action against Iran.

Following the outbreak of hostilities, he called on lawmakers to immediately reconvene from recess to vote on his resolution.

In an opinion article published Sunday in The Wall Street Journal, Kaine stated that, based on his access to classified intelligence as a member of key Senate committees, there was no imminent threat from Iran justifying military action.

“I can state plainly that there was no imminent threat from Iran to America sufficient to warrant committing our sons and daughters to another war in the Middle East,” he wrote.

At the centre of the dispute is whether Iran posed an “imminent” threat to the United States — a legal threshold that could justify unilateral presidential military action.

While only Congress has the constitutional power to declare war, the 1973 War Powers Act permits a president to initiate limited military engagement in response to an emergency created by an attack on the United States. However, such action is subject to strict timelines and congressional oversight.

At a press briefing on Monday, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth described the confrontation as a “war,” rather than a limited intervention.

In a late-night address announcing the launch of major combat operations, Trump insisted that Iran presented an imminent threat to American interests.

But critics argue that the administration has failed to publicly substantiate that claim. Daniel Shapiro, an analyst at the Atlantic Council, said the White House did not adequately explain the urgency of the action.

“Typically, before launching such major operations, presidents and their senior advisers explain to the American people why major military operations are required and what strategic objectives they are intended to achieve,” Shapiro wrote, noting that Congress is customarily briefed in detail before such actions.

According to him, aside from a briefing with eight congressional leaders days before the strikes, there was no broad consultation.

The White House confirmed that it formally notified the same eight congressional leaders shortly before hostilities began.

Under the War Powers Act, the president must secure congressional approval if military engagement extends beyond 60 days.

In the House of Representatives, Republican lawmaker Thomas Massie, one of the few members of Trump’s party to openly challenge him, condemned the military action. He announced plans to introduce a bipartisan bill alongside Democratic Representative Ro Khanna to compel a House vote on the war.

“The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war,” Massie wrote.

A Senate vote on Kaine’s resolution is expected this week, alongside possible House consideration of the Massie-Khanna bill.

However, with most Republicans opposing efforts to constrain the president, the measures face slim chances of passage. Even if approved, they would likely encounter a presidential veto, requiring a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override — a threshold analysts say is highly improbable.