Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) said they will try to force a vote next week on a war powers resolution to thwart the Trump administration as it weighs a possible strike against Iran.
The United States has amplified its military pressure against Iran by sending in the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, to the Middle East this week. The move comes as the U.S. military is ready to strike as early as this weekend, while President Donald Trump remains undecided.
“Trump officials say there’s a 90% chance of strikes on Iran. He can’t without Congress. @RepThomasMassie & I have a War Powers Resolution to debate & vote on war before putting U.S. troops in harm’s way. I will make a motion to discharge to force a vote on it next week,” Khanna wrote on X.
Khanna pointed to the military buildup in the region and said he instead supports “diplomatic talks & a deal by Trump to handle Iran’s nuclear program and protect our allies.”
“A war with Iran would be catastrophic. Iran is a complex society of 90 million people with significant air defenses and military capabilities. We also have 30-40k U.S. troops in the region who could be at risk of retaliation. Congress must do its job and stop this march to war,” Khanna wrote.
Massie conferred with his across-the-aisle, co-sponsor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, writing on X that “there’s no imminent threat from Iran.”
“I will vote to put America first which means voting against more war in the Middle East,” Massie said.
Massie and Khanna led the effort for a war powers resolution vote on military operations in Iran in June 2025. A similar June resolution, introduced by Sen.Tim Kaine (D-VA), was blocked in the Senate just days after the Trump administration struck three nuclear facilities in Iran.
In early January, Congress issued a rare rebuke of Trump’s power as the Senate voted 52-47 to advance procedurally a war powers resolution to curb further action in Venezuela after the ouster of former dictator Nicolas Maduro. However, that rebuke was short-lived as the Senate ultimately tabled the resolution with a tiebreaking vote from Vice President JD Vance.
CHANCE OF ALL-OUT WAR WITH IRAN CONTINUES TO RISE, AS NUCLEAR NEGOTIATIONS MAKE LITTLE PROGRESS
While the war powers resolution talks come to the surface, Trump is holding his inaugural Board of Peace meeting in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to discuss bringing peace to Gaza.
Israel, an adversary of Iran, and Turkey, which has been a prominent force in trying to bring negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, are both expected to be in attendance at the Board of Peace meeting.