War powers debate intensifies after Trump orders attack on Iran without approval by Congress

Key members of Congress are demanding a swift vote on a war powers resolution that would restrain President Donald Trump’s military attack on Iran unless the administration wins their approval for what they warn is a potentially illegal campaign that risks pulling the United States into a deeper Middle East conflict.

Both the House and Senate, where the president’s Republican Party has a slim majority, had already drafted such resolutions long before the strikes Saturday . Now they are ready to plunge into a rare war powers debate next week that will serve as a referendum on Trump’s decision to go it alone on military action without formal authorization from Congress.

“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East?” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a leader in the bipartisan effort. He said the strikes on Iran were “a colossal mistake.”

In the House, Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are demanding Congress go on record with a public vote on their own bipartisan measure. “Congress must convene on Monday to vote,” Khanna said, “to stop this.”

Massie blasted Trump’s own presidential campaign slogan and said: “This is not ‘America First.’”

But most Republicans, particularly their leaders, welcomed Trump’s move against Iran. Many cited the longtime U.S. adversary’s nuclear programs and missile capabilities as requiring a military response.

“Well done, Mr. President,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “As I watch and monitor this historic operation, I’m in awe of President Trump’s determination to be a man of peace but at the end of the day, evil’s worst nightmare.”

War powers debate tests Congress

The administration’s decision to launch, with Israel, what appears to be an open-ended joint military operation aimed at changing the government in Tehran is testing the Constitution’s separation of powers in deep and dramatic ways. Nearly two months earlier, Trump ordered U.S. strikes that toppled Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro .

While presidents have the authority as the commander in chief to conduct certain strategic military operations on their own, the Constitution vests Congress with the power to wage war. Before the Iraq War began in March 2003, Republican President George W. Bush made a monthslong push to secure congressional authorization. No such vote was attempted on Iran, and an earlier Senate effort to halt Trump’s actions after last summer’s strike on Iran failed.

The congressional debate over war powers would mostly be symbolic. Even if a resolution were to pass the narrowly split Congress, Trump likely would veto it and Congress would not have the two-thirds majority needed to overturn that rejection. Congress has often failed to block other U.S. military actions, including in a Senate vote on Venezuela, but the roll calls stand as a public record.

A damaged car remains on the ground in the aftermath of an Israeli-U.S. strike in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 28, 2026. (Amir Kholousi/ISNA/AP)

Republican leaders back Trump’s action

The response by House Speaker Mike Johnson reflected the party’s long-standing views. Iran, he said, is facing “the severe consequences of its evil actions.”

Johnson, R-La., said the leaders of the House and Senate and the respective intelligence committees had been briefed in detail earlier in the week that military action “may become necessary” to protect U.S. troops and citizens in Iran. He said he received updates from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and will stay in “close contact” with Trump and the Defense Department “as this operation proceeds.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., commended Trump “for taking action to thwart these threats.”

Thune said he looked forward to administration officials briefing all senators — a signal that lawmakers are seeking more answers to their questions about Trump’s plans ahead.

Democrats warn strikes are illegal

Many Democrats are calling the operation illegal, saying the Constitution gives Congress alone the power to declare war. To them, the administration has failed to lay out its rationale or plan for the military strikes, and the aftermath.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the president has undertaken “illegal, regime-change war against Iran.”

“This is not making us safer & only damages the US & our interests,” Van Hollen, D-Md., said in a social media post. “The Senate must immediately vote on the War Powers Resolution to stop it.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said while Iran is a “bad actor and must be aggressively confronted” for its human rights abuses and the threat it poses to the U.S. and allies, the administration ”must seek authorization for the preemptive use of military force that constitutes an act of war.”

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, demanded that Congress be briefed immediately on the administration’s plans.

“Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home,” he said.

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Matt Brown contributed to this report.

国会的关键成员要求迅速就一项战争权力决议进行投票，该决议旨在限制唐纳德·特朗普总统对伊朗的军事打击，除非政府获得他们的批准。他们警告说，这项行动可能违法，并有可能将美国拖入更深的中东冲突。

总统所在的共和党在众议院和参议院仅占微弱多数，而早在周六的空袭之前，两院就已经起草了类似的决议。现在，他们准备在下周就战争权力问题展开一场罕见的辩论，这场辩论将是对特朗普未经国会正式授权擅自采取军事行动的决定的一次全民公投。

“特朗普总统难道没有从美国数十年来干涉伊朗和在中东没完没了的战争中吸取任何教训吗？”弗吉尼亚州民主党参议员蒂姆·凯恩说道，他是两党合作的领导者之一。他表示，对伊朗的袭击是“一个巨大的错误”。

在众议院，加州民主党众议员罗·卡纳和肯塔基州共和党众议员托马斯·马西要求国会就他们提出的两党法案进行公开投票，并正式记录在案。“国会必须在周一召开会议进行投票，”卡纳说，“以阻止此事发生。”

马西猛烈抨击了特朗普自己的总统竞选口号，并表示：“这不是‘美国优先’。”

但大多数共和党人，尤其是他们的领导人，对特朗普针对伊朗的举措表示欢迎。许多人认为，这个美国长期对手的核计划和导弹能力需要采取军事回应。

“总统先生，干得好，”共和党参议员林赛·格雷厄姆说。“当我观看和关注这项历史性的行动时，我敬畏特朗普总统决心成为一个和平的使者，但最终，他要让邪恶势力的噩梦成真。”

战争权力辩论考验国会

美国政府决定与以色列联手发起一场看似没有尽头的联合军事行动，旨在推翻德黑兰政府，这正以深刻而剧烈的方式考验着宪法规定的权力分立原则。近两个月前，特朗普下令美国发动空袭，推翻了委内瑞拉领导人尼古拉斯·马杜罗。

虽然总统作为三军统帅有权自行指挥某些战略军事行动，但宪法赋予国会发动战争的权力。在2003年3月伊拉克战争爆发前，共和党总统乔治·W·布什曾花费数月时间争取国会授权。而对于伊朗战争，国会并未进行类似的投票，此前参议院试图阻止特朗普在去年夏天对伊朗发动袭击后的行动的努力也以失败告终。

国会关于战争权力的辩论大多只是象征性的。即便决议在票数接近的国会获得通过，特朗普也极有可能否决它，而国会也无法获得推翻否决所需的三分之二多数。国会此前也曾多次未能阻止美国的其他军事行动，包括参议院对委内瑞拉的投票，但当时的投票记录仍然公开。

2026年2月28日，在伊朗德黑兰，一辆受损汽车在以色列和美国空袭后停在地上。（Amir Kholousi/ISNA/AP）

共和党领导人支持特朗普的行动

众议院议长迈克·约翰逊的回应反映了该党长期以来的立场。他说，伊朗正在面临“其邪恶行径的严重后果”。

路易斯安那州共和党众议员约翰逊表示，本周早些时候，众议院和参议院的领导人以及各自的情报委员会已详细听取了简报，称为保护驻伊美军和公民，采取军事行动“可能成为必要”。他表示，他已收到国务卿马可·卢比奥的最新消息，并将“随着行动的进行”与特朗普总统和国防部保持“密切联系”。

参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩（John Thune）称赞特朗普“采取行动挫败了这些威胁”。

图恩表示，他期待政府官员向所有参议员进行简报——这表明议员们正在寻求更多关于特朗普未来计划的答案。

民主党人警告称，罢工是非法的。

许多民主党人称此次军事行动非法，并表示宪法赋予国会宣战权。他们认为，政府未能阐明此次军事打击的理由和计划，也未说明后续行动的措施。

参议院外交关系委员会成员克里斯·范霍伦参议员表示，总统对伊朗发动了“非法政权更迭战争”。

“这非但没有让我们更安全，反而损害了美国及其利益，”马里兰州民主党参议员范霍伦在社交媒体上发帖称。“参议院必须立即就《战争权力决议》进行投票，以阻止此事发生。”

纽约州众议院民主党领袖哈基姆·杰弗里斯表示，虽然伊朗是一个“不良行为者，必须对其侵犯人权的行为以及对美国及其盟友构成的威胁采取强硬应对措施”，但政府“必须寻求授权才能先发制人地使用构成战争行为的武力”。

纽约州参议员、民主党领袖查克·舒默要求立即向国会通报政府的计划。

他说：“绝不能允许伊朗获得核武器，但美国人民不希望在中东再打一场无休止且代价高昂的战争，因为美国国内还有这么多问题需要解决。”

美联社记者玛丽·克莱尔·贾洛尼克和马特·布朗对本报道亦有贡献。