The Senate is set to vote today on whether to limit President Donald Trump’s military operations in Iran through the War Powers Resolution.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Rep. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have forced a vote on a war powers resolution that would "direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress."
The vote is expected to be very close, with most Democrats and a small group of Republicans voting to restrain President Trump’s use of military power in Iran, following the joint kinetic airstrikes by the U.S. and Israel over the weekend.
"The Constitution says we're not supposed to be at war without a vote of Congress," Sen. Kaine told NPR's Weekend Edition. "This is important. The lives of our troops are at risk. We ought to come back to Washington right away and vote on this."
The War Powers Resolution was scheduled ahead of the strikes on Iran over the weekend, in response to the Trump administration’s largest military buildup in the Middle East in decades.
Since the launch of “Operation Epic Fury,” the operation has added urgency towards the vote, with the odds of a successful effort to limit President Trump’s power through the Senate resolution appearing unclear. Adding to the difficulty, a war powers resolution would still need to be passed in the Republican-led House for its approval.
The House is set to vote on a similar resolution later this week.
If both chambers manage to approve the resolution, the president will still have the ability to veto the law, requiring those in favor of restraining the president to obtain a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate to override his veto.
"If you don't have the guts to vote yes or no on a war vote, how dare you send our sons and daughters into war where they risk their lives," Kaine expressed on a call with reporters, recognizing that the resolution might not succeed, but assuring the importance of putting members of Congress on the record about the conflict in Iran.
