The Senate is expected to begin voting Wednesday on a resolution that seeks to end President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran.
The resolution, introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and cosponsored by Republican Senator Rand Paul, aims to “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."
Over the weekend, the U.S. and Israel launched a coordinated attack against Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.” Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking officials were killed, and Iran has since launched retaliatory strikes throughout the region.
Trump has said the campaign will likely last four or five weeks, but that it could go “far longer.”
“The Senate will vote on our bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow, and every senator will have to go on the record to declare whether it is in our best interest to send our sons and daughters into conflict against Iran,” Kaine said in a statement released Tuesday.
“I pray that my colleagues will vote to end this dangerous and unnecessary war that has already resulted in the loss of six servicemembers and injured others,” he added. “We owe it to those in uniform, their families, and all Americans to not make the same mistakes that we made in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
However, the resolution faces difficult odds, given that Trump’s fellow Republicans have majorities in both the House and Senate. Democratic Senator John Fetterman has also said he opposes the measure.
Then, even if both the House and Senate approve the resolution, Trump could veto it — and it’s unlikely Democrats could rally the necessary two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override his decision.
Congress has also rejected similar efforts in the past. Following the attack on Venezuela earlier this year, five Republicans said they would vote with Democrats to block further strikes. But Trump raged against those Republicans, including Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana, who ended up flipping their votes.
Democratic Senator Chris Murphy admitted Tuesday that the resolution will “likely fail,” but said the debate is still necessary.
“We have to have a debate in the United States Senate on an authorization of military force. It will likely fail, and we shouldn't be voting to proceed to other pieces of legislation until we get a debate on this deeply unpopular, immoral, and illegal war with Iran,” he told reporters.
Leading Republican lawmakers have strongly opposed the resolution.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune threw his support behind the president’s operation at a Tuesday press conference: “The president has the authority that he needs to conduct the activities, the operations that are currently under way there.”
The House is also expected to vote on a similar resolution later this week. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that limiting Trump’s authority to “finish this job” is a “frightening prospect.”
“It's dangerous, and I am certainly hopeful — and I believe we do — have the votes to put it down,” he said. “That’s going to be a good thing for the country, and our security and stability.”
When reached for comment, the White House referred The Independent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s prior comments to reporters. Rubio said Monday that the Trump administration has "complied with the law 100 percent, and we're going to continue to comply with it."
"We did notify members of Congress. We just can’t notify 535 people. That’s not possible. But we did the Gang of Eight, twice," he said. "I briefed them last week and then I called them the night before the operation."
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