An Israel-Iran ceasefire announced Monday eased tensions in Congress that the United States could be drawn into a broader conflict, capping off a chaotic 48 hours for U.S. politicians as they weighed whether to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers.
But the drama is far from over.
For some lawmakers, the whiplash only complicated whether to pass war powers resolutions that would force Trump to terminate the use of armed forces against Iran. The effort was initiated before his strikes against Iranian nuclear power plants in support of Israel over the weekend, but the president is receiving fresh scrutiny from Democrats and some Republicans amid claims he acted unconstitutionally without Congress’s required permission.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), just hours after committing to the position that Republicans should get on board with his bipartisan resolution, declared it likely to be dead, at least for now, because of the ceasefire that could draw an end to Israel’s war against Iran. Even before the agreement, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and most congressional Republicans opposed the need to authorize Trump’s strikes.
The GOP-led Senate is expected to vote on a privileged resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) later this week, which will only need a simple majority. A Senate-wide classified briefing with administration officials on Iran is slated for Tuesday afternoon, another factor that could further change lawmakers’ calculus.
“I’m going to get Republican votes. How many? I don’t know,” Kaine told reporters. “This is as fluid a vote as I’ve been involved with during my time here, because the facts are changing every day.”
While the de-escalation may lower the stakes for requiring lawmakers’ approval, Kaine said the fluidity was further justification for “why you get a congressional discussion.”
“These things can escalate, and they can move in ways that are hard to predict,” he added. “That’s why a discussion and a vote is a good idea, especially since there isn’t a sense of urgency about the nuclear program.”
One of the Republicans to support Kaine’s resolution will be Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), a libertarian. But the vast majority of the GOP remain opposed, with some going a step further to suggest Trump should receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
“My viewpoint hasn’t changed. The Constitution hasn’t changed. There have always been people who argue the president can do whatever he wants,” Paul said. “The problem is that’s a recipe for chronic intervention. It’s a recipe for endless war. We’ve been in and out of the Middle East for decades.”
Among Democrats, there’s far more skepticism about whether the ceasefire is real and will be lasting. There’s a strong desire to limit Trump’s military capabilities against Iran out of fear of plunging the U.S. into another decadeslong Middle East war.
“CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR.”
However, not all Democrats were on the same page about countering Trump. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) remained undecided on the resolution of the war powers but appeared inclined to side with Republicans.
TRUMP ANNOUNCES CEASEFIRE BETWEEN ISRAEL AND IRAN TO CONCLUDE ’12 DAY WAR’
The staunch Israel defender said he was supportive of what he called “very targeted and very brief” strikes by Trump and would have been opposed to Kaine’s resolution restricting Trump’s powers before the recent attacks by Iran, Israel, and the U.S.
“I don’t believe that Trump’s strikes were unconstitutional,” Fetterman said. “And if you throw that word around, ‘impeachment,’ you just continue to cheapen what that word really, actually means.”