Democrats intensified their push to force a vote on legislation to rein in President Donald Trump’s use of military force against Iran, after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran early Saturday morning.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), who introduced the War Powers Resolution last year with Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), called on Congress to convene on Monday, as their schedule has the members in their districts until Wednesday.
“Trump has launched an illegal regime change war in Iran with American lives at risk,” Khanna wrote on X Saturday morning. “Congress must convene on Monday to vote on @RepThomasMassie & my WPR to stop this. Every member of Congress should go on record this weekend on how they will vote.”
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also called for Congress to “quickly return” to vote and pass the bill.
“When I talked to Secretary Rubio, I implored him to be straight with Congress and the American people about the objectives of these strikes and what comes next,’ Schumer said in a statement. “The administration has not provided Congress and the American people with critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat.”
“The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its Constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act,” the leader continued.
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House Democratic leadership announced Thursday they would force a vote next week on the resolution that specified the Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, as Democrats have been calling for a de-escalation in the Middle East. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reiterated this pledge to force a vote following the strikes.
“The War Powers Resolution introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie demands that President Trump remove U.S. forces from hostilities in Iran absent Congressional authorization,” Jeffries wrote in a statement. “House Democrats remain committed to compelling a vote on this resolution upon our return.”
Massie posted his opposition to the strikes on X, vowing to work with Khanna to force a vote.
“I am opposed to this War,” Massie wrote. “This is not “America First.” When Congress reconvenes, I will work with @RepRoKhanna to force a Congressional vote on war with Iran. The Constitution requires a vote, and your Representative needs to be on record as opposing or supporting this war.”
Prior to the strikes, the resolution already had some bipartisan support, with Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) expressing his support.
“I have asked for a classified briefing defining the mission in Iran,” Davidson wrote on X last week. “In the absence of new information, I will support the War Powers resolution in the House next week. War requires Congressional authorization. There are actions short of war, but no case has been made.”
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed the top lawmakers and intelligence committee members on the possibility of military action against Iran.
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“The administration must brief Congress, including an immediate all senators classified briefing and in public testimony, to answer these vital questions,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote Saturday. “The Senate should quickly return to session and reassert its constitutional duty by passing our resolution to enforce the War Powers Act.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the attacks, saying it was a “preemptive strike against Iran to remove threats to the State of Israel,” warning of an “immediate state of emergency throughout the entire country.”
In a video address on Truth Social posted around 2.30 a.m. on Saturday morning, Trump announced the U.S. participation in the strikes, saying the purpose of the strikes was to “defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” which he described as “a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.”
The strikes came as the administration was in negotiations with the Middle Eastern country.
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“We are in negotiations with them,” Trump said Tuesday at his State of the Union address. “They want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon.’”
House GOP leadership narrowly avoided a war powers resolution on Venezuela from passing earlier this year in a 215 to 215 vote.