Republicans Resist Curbing Trump’s War Powers Ahead of Iran Decision

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) is leading an effort to restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to launch military action against Iran without congressional approval, but is finding little GOP support.

Kaine is making a final push to bring his newly introduced resolution to a vote as soon as next week. The measure would prohibit the president from continuing to use U.S. forces in hostilities, such as supporting Israeli airstrikes, unless Congress explicitly authorizes it. It would also mandate a debate and vote before any future military action is taken.

“I have maintained since I came to the Senate, under Democratic and Republican Presidents, we shouldn’t go to war without a vote of Congress. That’s what our troops deserve,” Kaine said this week. “They don’t deserve to have their lives put at risk when Congress doesn’t have the guts to have a debate and vote about war.”

The White House said on Thursday that Trump would decide in two weeks whether to join Israel‘s campaign to dismantle Iran‘s nuclear program. Speculation about imminent U.S. involvement in the conflict intensified after Trump unexpectedly left the G7 summit in Canada early Tuesday, returning to Washington for high-level talks with his national security team and issuing threats against Iran online.

The only Senate Republican on Capitol Hill who appeared visibly concerned about Trump’s apparent willingness to strike Iran was Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), although he did not commit to supporting Kaine’s resolution. (Read more from “Republicans Resist Curbing Trump’s War Powers Ahead of Iran Decision” HERE)