As the Iran war hits a seventh week, President Donald Trump is facing increasing pressure to receive congressional approval over the war or seek a swift end to the conflict.
When the war began, Trump claimed the conflict would be over in four to six weeks and repeatedly stated that his objective of obliterating Iran’s military might had already been accomplished.
But a two-week ceasefire has extended that deadline, and Trump has escalated pressure on Iran after the United States began a blockade of maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
Peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, led by Vice President JD Vance, fell apart over the weekend, another sign that the war could continue indefinitely after the ceasefire expires.
“Operation Epic Failure is a much more appropriate name for Trump’s war of choice,” said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on the Senate floor Tuesday. “And 45 days into this war, Congress has been sidelined because our Republican colleagues refuse to take a strong stand against this war and duck it completely because they’re afraid of Trump.”
Trump did not seek congressional approval for the war; instead using the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to authorize a joint attack against Iran with Israel.
The resolution allows the use of military force for 60 days after the president first reports to Congress of hostilities. Trump technically has until May 1 before the conflict with Iran must be terminated or Congress legally authorizes military force. The president notified Congress on March 2 about the strikes, even though the war began on Feb. 28, giving him a few more days.
The deployment can be extended for an additional 30 days if Trump proves that “unavoidable military necessity respecting the safety of United States Armed Forces” requires continued use of military force.
A White House official told the Washington Examiner that “the administration is in active conversations with the Hill on this topic.”
“Members of Congress who try to score political points by usurping the Commander-in-Chief’s authority would only undermine the United States Military abroad, which no elected official should want to do,” the official said.
But Democrats are seeking to win back the House and Senate during this year’s midterm elections by slamming the Trump administration over the war, which is unpopular among the public. Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz has led to higher oil and gas prices, causing the GOP some consternation; voters could take out their anger on them in November.
Schumer threatened the White House that Senate Democrats will force the issue under the War Powers Act as soon as this week if the GOP does not rein in Trump.
“We will bring a resolution to the floor this week, led by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran who understands the true costs of war far more than Donald Trump ever has,” he said. “And we will not stop there. If Republicans block it, we will vote again and again and again every single week until Operation Epic Fury ends or Congress does its job and authorizes it, which I know it won’t, given how bad this war is because our troops deserve a mission, not a mess.”
The day before, Senate Democrats also held a press briefing in support of their War Powers Resolution and again threatened to keep voting on resolutions until “this illegal war of choice” has ended.
“There’s nothing in the Constitution that says the president of the United States gets to start a war and wage a war for 60 days,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said. “You don’t get to wage a war for 60 days without congressional authorization.”
Three past Senate votes on the War Powers Resolution have all failed, with only Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) defecting to vote with Democrats, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) sided with the GOP.
House Democrats are similarly weighing bringing a war powers vote on Thursday and have criticized the GOP over the issue.
“We know they’ve been kind of dragging their feet about dealing with this — Speaker [Mike] Johnson and Republican leadership,” said Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD). “But I think it’s important for us to keep trying to push the issue forward, and eventually they’re going to have to allow us to bring it to the floor and have a vote on it.”
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who is facing a tough reelection battle, slammed Democratic efforts to rein in Trump as effectively boosting Iran and said the president should get more time to negotiate a deal to end the war.
“This War Powers Resolution undermines the United States position, and frankly, gives cover to the enemy,” Lawler told Fox Business’s Varney & Co. on Tuesday.
“It gives cover to the regime who continues to not negotiate in good faith,” he continued. “The idea that we would pass a War Powers Resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops in the region is insane and frankly, strengthens the Iranian regime’s hand. So no, I will not be voting for this.”
The White House pushed back against accusations that it has kept Congress in the dark in response to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
“President Trump has been transparent with the Hill since before Operation Epic Fury began, and administration officials provided over 20 bipartisan briefings for Members of Congress to keep them apprised of military updates,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. “The President’s preference is always diplomacy, and Iran is desperate to make a deal – but they first must renounce their desire for a nuclear weapon and agree to redlines articulated by the United States.”
Senate Democrats don’t currently have enough Republican defectors to reach the 60-vote threshold to pass a resolution, but at least two Republicans, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Sen. John Curtis (R-UT), have indicated their patience with Trump is waning.
“The 60-day target is what I’m looking at,” said Tillis, who also claimed the Trump administration “has got to start answering questions.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Punchbowl News on Monday, “I think people are going to be looking for signs of progress.”
But a day later, during a GOP press conference, Thune claimed that “most of us, I believe, feel pretty good about what the military, the American military, has achieved there in terms of its objectives.”
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Thune dodged on whether he would support an authorization for use of military force measure on Iran.
“That’s something obviously, it’s a hypothetical down the road,” he told reporters. “We’re going to have an opportunity to vote on some War Powers Resolutions the Democrats are going to try and trigger. But I think the administration has a clear objective, a clear plan, and if they can execute on it, hopefully that question won’t be a necessary one that we’ll have to answer.”
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