US lawmakers move to block Trump from joining Israel-Iran war

Amid fears of a spiraling Middle East war, U.S. lawmakers are racing to curb President Donald Trump’s authority to engage militarily with Iran without congressional approval.

According to reports, the move comes as missile strikes between Israel and Iran rage into a fourth day.

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia on Monday introduced a War Powers Resolution aimed at blocking Trump from deploying American forces against Iran without formal authorization from Congress or a declaration of war.

“The recent escalation between Israel and Iran could quickly drag the U.S. into another endless war,” Kaine said.

“This resolution ensures Congress debates and votes before American troops are sent into harm’s way.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent aligned with Democrats, followed up with a separate bill that would prohibit the use of federal funds for any offensive military action against Iran unless explicitly approved by Congress.

Progressive heavyweights Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen have signed on as co-sponsors.

The proposals face an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Congress, where lawmakers have largely avoided challenging Trump’s sweeping use of executive power.

Still, the debate marks a significant flashpoint as tensions between Iran and Israel risk drawing the U.S. into a broader regional conflict.

Sanders condemned Israel’s timing of last week’s aerial assault on Iran—an operation that has derailed diplomatic talks over Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Another war in the Middle East could cost countless lives and waste trillions more dollars,” Sanders warned. “I will do everything in my power to stop it.”

Trump, meanwhile, has issued dire warnings to Tehran:

“If we are attacked in any way… the full strength and might of the U.S. Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before,” he declared via Truth Social.

Kaine’s resolution doesn’t prohibit self-defense but would block any offensive military action unless Congress approves. Sanders’ version includes a similar self-defense exception.

Under Senate rules, war powers resolutions are considered “privileged,” ensuring they will receive a floor debate and vote.

Even if the measure fails, it forces lawmakers to confront the constitutional balance of power over war-making authority.

Notably, Kaine and Sanders’ push continues a bipartisan trend of lawmakers trying to claw back war powers from the executive branch—a fight that intensified after Trump’s 2020 killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, which nearly triggered all-out war.

While that earlier effort passed both chambers, Trump vetoed it.

He also vetoed a 2019 resolution aimed at ending U.S. support for Saudi Arabia’s intervention in Yemen’s civil war.

Trump’s foreign policy approach blends support from Iran hawks like Senator Lindsey Graham and “America First” isolationists, creating fractures within the GOP.

Graham, speaking Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation, expressed support for diplomacy but urged a total destruction of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure if talks fail.

“Make sure that, when this operation is over, there’s nothing left standing in Iran regarding their nuclear program,” he said.

As missile fire continues and diplomacy falters, pressure is mounting in Washington to rein in presidential war powers before the U.S. is drawn into yet another prolonged Middle Eastern war.

Whether Kaine and Sanders can build a winning coalition remains uncertain—but the stakes are unmistakably high.

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