Sen. Kaine files resolution to restrict Trump’s war powers on Iran

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) said Monday he has introduced a resolution to ensure the United States does not go to war against Iran without congressional approval.

“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States,” Kaine said in a statement.

Kaine announced the war powers resolution on the fourth day of bloody strikes between Israel and Iran. President Donald Trump has pushed for a diplomatic solution, though he said Sunday in an ABC News interview that it is “possible” the United States “could get involved” in the conflict.

War powers resolutions are designed to give Congress a check on the president’s use of military force. Kaine said his resolution would make sure that “if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress.”

Such legislation is considered privileged, which means the Senate will have to take up Kaine’s resolution in the coming days.

Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, has long advocated for reasserting congressional authority over military force. He spearheaded a war powers resolution on Iran in 2020. The Republican-led Senate passed it in a bipartisan vote, but Trump vetoed it, arguing it would constrain him too much.