Why some Democrats are trying to curb a war powers vote on Trump's Iran strikes

It's exceedingly rare to see a Republican and a Democrat sit side by side at the annual State of the Union address delivered by the president in the House chamber. 

But that's exactly what happened on Tuesday, when Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna and Republican Congressman Thomas Massie showed a united front as President Donald Trump again threatened Iran with US military might should it carry on with its nuclear programme - all while also insisting that the US already obliterated Iran's nuclear sites back in June. 

Khanna, a progressive who has called out the genocide in Gaza, and Massie, an anti-war Trump critic, have joined forces to compel a war powers vote and make every member of Congress go on the record about their position on US strikes on Iran. 

But that vote has now been delayed.

The 1973 War Powers Act allows any senator to introduce a resolution to withdraw US armed forces from a conflict not authorised by Congress. The legislative branch, which acts as the country’s purse, is also supposed to be the one that declares war - not the executive branch.

But since the 9/11 attacks in particular, the foggy nature of the so-called "war on terror" has enabled the White House to call the shots, especially as Washington has carried out air strikes in countries from Somalia to Pakistan without an official declaration of war. 

"Trump officials say there's a 90% chance of strikes on Iran. He can't without Congress. @RepThomasMassie & I have a War Powers Resolution to debate & vote on war before putting US troops in harm's way. I will make a motion to discharge to force a vote on it next week," Khanna wrote on X on 18 February. 

Split

Now reports have emerged that Democratic leadership is trying to curb that effort. 

Establishment Democrats, many of whom failed to condemn Israel for what the world's foremost scholars have called a genocide in Gaza, have also not shied away from consistent condemnation of Iran, believing that if not now, then at some point it will have to be confronted militarily.

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Iran itself has said that while it must be ready for a war with the US - largely egged on by Israel - it would rather cut a deal that still allows it the weapons it needs to defend itself as a sovereign state. 

On Tuesday, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA director John Ratcliffe briefed House and Senate leadership on the latest Iran developments behind closed doors, the top Democrat in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, emerged only to say to reporters: "This is serious, and the administration has to make its case to the American people."

Four days earlier, Schumer said in a statement that "confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, regional aggression, and horrific oppression of the Iranian people demands strength, resolve, regional coordination, and strategic clarity".

But for that reason, he added, "We must enforce the War Powers Act and compel this administration to consult with Congress and explain to the American people the objectives and exactly why he is risking more American lives."

The statement suggests that while Democratic leadership may support limited military action by the US - something akin to Trump's four-hour blitz in Venezuela - the optics of yet another war may be disastrous as lawmakers head into the midterm elections in November. 

The midterms, which are congressional, gubernatorial, and local elections held halfway through a president's term, will be the first major litmus test of Trump's second presidency. 

In 2020, after Trump targeted and killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani, both the House and Senate voted to limit his war powers. 

Trump vetoed the resolution.