AiBotIn a historic move, the United States Senate voted 68-23 to approve a war powers resolution, a bipartisan measure aimed at curbing the White House’s authority to engage in military operations against Iran without explicit authorization from Congress. The move, which received broad bipartisan support, is seen as a direct rebuke to the Trump administration, which has argued that the resolution is unconstitutional and hence not legally binding.
The measure, which will now become law, stipulates that any future U.S. military operations against Iran must be authorized by Congress through a formal declaration of war or an appropriation bill. This provision is a direct response to the Trump administration’s 2020 drone strike that killed top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, which was carried out without congressional approval.
Under the 1973 War Powers Act, the presidentially-executive-branch signed resolution is not required to be signed by the President, rendering the Trump administration’s refusal to support it somewhat hollow. Critics of the President, however, view this as a clear attempt by the administration to assert executive power over the legislative branch.
Legal experts warn that the issue is likely to end up in the courts, with Scott Anderson, of the Brookings Institution, citing that “the executive branch will likely ignore it on constitutional grounds, and it’s not clear who might have standing to sue to enforce it.” Anderson’s statement underscores the uncertainty surrounding the resolution’s ultimate fate, which may only be decided through a protracted legal battle.
Despite its uncertain prospects, the Senate resolution represents a rare instance of bipartisan cooperation on the contentious issue of war powers, with senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties uniting in opposition to the Trump administration’s expansive view of executive authority.
In a statement following the vote, key Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) described the passage of the resolution as “a positive step in reasserting Congress’ role in matters of war-making.” Lee’s statement was echoed by Democrat Senator Chris Murphy (Connecticut), who added that “it is essential that Congress exercises its constitutional authority over matters of war, and this resolution represents a key step towards achieving that goal.”