Trump’s Iran strikes spark bipartisan congressional push to limit war powers

President Donald Trump’s joint strikes with Israel against Iran have intensified growing bipartisan pressure in Congress to limit his war powers, with lawmakers from both parties demanding passage of resolutions to limit his authority to use military force in the region.

Members of both chambers had already planned to force votes before the first bombs fell on Saturday. Today, they are doubling down on calls to restrict the president’s military authority.

Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, repeatedly forced votes to limit Trump’s war powers abroad — he nearly succeeded in halting further military action in Venezuela until Republicans blocked the effort earlier this year.

President Donald Trump speaks during a breakfast with governors at the White House in Washington, February 20, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Kaine had already prepared his latest resolution, co-sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., for a vote on the Senate floor next week. He argued Saturday that the strikes, carried out without congressional approval, further underscore why a vote should take place immediately.

“These strikes are a colossal mistake, and I pray that they do not cost the lives of our sons and daughters in uniform and in embassies across the region,” Kaine said in a statement. “The Senate should immediately resume session and vote on my war powers resolution to block the use of U.S. forces in hostilities against Iran.”

In the House, Reps. Thomas Massie, Republican of Kentucky, and Rep. Ro Khanna, Democratic of California, are preparing their own war powers resolution for a vote.

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Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, plans to force a vote on his war powers resolution to curb President Donald Trump’s military action in Iran. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Massie said in an article on X that he opposed “this war. It’s not ‘America First’.”

“When Congress reconvenes, I will work with [Khanna] to force a congressional vote on war with Iran,” Massie said. “The Constitution requires Congress to vote, and your representative must go on the record as opposing or supporting this war.”

The effort has the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who noted earlier in the week that the resolution would require “the president to come to Congress to advocate for the use of military force against Iran.”

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Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., left, and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., hold a news conference after reviewing unredacted portions of Jeffrey Epstein’s case files outside a Justice Department office in NoMa on Feb. 9, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

The resolution’s fate in the House remains unclear, given that a handful of House Democrats have broken with their party and supported the administration’s strikes in Iran.

Massie and Khanna’s efforts could also benefit from the support of at least one additional Republican in the lower house.

Rep. Warren Davidson, Republican of Ohio, appeared poised to support his war powers resolution after news of Saturday’s strikes. He reiterated a position he expressed earlier in the week in an article on X.

“I requested a classified briefing defining the mission in Iran,” Davidson said. “In the absence of new information, I will support the War Powers Resolution in the House next week.”

“War requires authorization from Congress,” he continued. “There are actions that fall short of war, but no arguments have been presented.”

Meanwhile, back in the Senate, the success of Kaine and Paul’s campaign will force Senate Republicans across the aisle.

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They found a short-lived bipartisan coalition earlier this year, when their resolution targeting military action in Venezuela survived a key procedural vote. The group included Sens. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Todd Young, R-Ind.

Hawley and Young later changed positions after the administration assured there would be no troops on the ground in Venezuela and that Trump would seek congressional approval for any future military action in the region.

It remained unclear whether that same standard would apply to operations in Iran on Saturday. Both Murkowski and Young said they hope to receive in-depth briefings in the coming days.

“Last summer, following Operation Midnight Hammer, I supported the administration’s targeted actions in Iran after receiving a comprehensive briefing from senior officials,” Murkowski said on

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