“Not only does he have the right to do this, he has the duty to do this.
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Congressional War Powers Debate Over Iran
March 2, 2026
As the U.S.-Israel war on Iran approaches its 60-day mark — the limit set by the 1973 War Powers Resolution before continued hostilities require congressional authorization — senators from both parties have pushed war powers resolutions to force a vote. The Senate has defeated three such resolutions in 53-47 votes since the war began on February 28, 2026, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) the lone Republican consistently voting in favor. Sen. John Curtis (R-UT) drew a line in an April 1 op-ed: "60 days must mean 60 days."
19
Statements Recorded
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19 Statements
“As our troops continue to sacrifice whatever is asked of them, we senators need to do the absolute minimum required of us.
“I want to see us achieve our objective in Iran. And then I want to see us get out. [Otherwise I'll] jump up and say that's it, it's one second past 60 days, everybody come home.
“We'll have [a vote] all the weeks of this work period, including right up against the 60-day period.
“I have been clear from the beginning of this military operation that the President's power is not unlimited as Commander in Chief, as the Constitution gives Congress an essential role in matters of war and peace. If this conflict exceeds the 60 days specified in the War Powers Act, or if the President deploys troops on the ground, I believe that Congress should have to authorize those actions.
“Throughout all this miasma, all this mess, this horrible war, where are the Senate Republicans?
“It's time to fish or cut bait. I think that the administration would be wise to put together what would look like a well-founded authorization of military force and a funding strategy.
“There's the 60-day shot clock, so to speak, that we're currently in the midst of.
“We're not at war right now. This is a defensive operation. The president is acting within his constitutional authority to protect American interests and personnel.
“The War Powers Resolution of 1973 provides the authority for a president to respond to emerging threats — for a limited period of time. I will not support ongoing military action beyond a 60-day window without congressional approval. The Constitution assigns Congress the responsibility to 'provide for the common defense,' and in that context, it gives Congress the corresponding power to declare war.
“When we present something on the floor, it's our determination to win. The new resolution contains substantial differences from the first, reflecting the developments in the conflict over the last three weeks as well as the sentiment of voters, a majority of whom oppose the war.
“Trump's war in Iran is spiraling out of control. He has no legal authority to continue this war without Congress, and we will keep forcing votes until this body does its constitutional duty. A war powers resolution would obligate the president to seek approval from Congress on further military action in the region.
“The Trump administration's actions are consistent with what previous administrations have done in prior conflicts. The president was perfectly within his rights to take the steps that he took.
“The congressional leadership, resigned to their own irrelevance, will gladly hand the president the power to initiate war in exchange for plausible deniability. Our Founding Fathers thought that war happened too often, war should be the last resort, and that is why we should have Congress vote on it first. It's very difficult after it starts to have a debate over this — once the soldiers are in the field, it's very hard.
“Donald Trump has once again deployed massive amounts of American firepower abroad without Congressional approval to use military force. We hope, by forcing these votes, we can force some accountability. We need to communicate to the Administration that we're going to insist on accountability even if they don't want it.
“Today every senator, every single one, will pick a side: Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted of forever wars in the Middle East? Or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war? This resolution ensures this administration cannot sleepwalk this country into an endless and costly war.
“Passing a war powers resolution at this moment would be a frightening prospect. It would take the ability of our commander in chief, the president, take his authority away right now to finish this job. The operation has been necessary, lawful and effective. Reversing course would play right into the hands of the enemy.
“We will have this war powers vote within the next 48 hours or so, and every member of this body will do the most solemn thing any of us ever do — vote on whether the United States should be at war.
“The War Powers Resolution would require immediate termination of any additional military action. Any military action against Iran would be unconstitutional without consultation with and authorization from Congress. Every Member will have the opportunity to go on record as to whether they support military action against Iran absent Congressional approval.