Iran war powers votes expected 'very soon'

Rebecca Kheel, CQ-Roll Call on Feb 25, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

WASHINGTON — The backers of two resolutions in the House and Senate aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from attacking Iran are gearing up to force the issue soon.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who previously said he was waiting for diplomatic efforts to play out before forcing a vote, vowed Wednesday to bring his Iran war powers resolution to the floor “very soon,” though he would not provide a more specific timeline.

“Virginians don’t want our sons and daughters in another war in the Middle East right now, especially one that’s unnecessary, especially one that’s just at the whim of the say-so of one person is waged,” Kaine said. “So I’ll do everything I can to stop it.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who had said he planned to force a vote on a measure by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., this week, acknowledged Wednesday that a condensed House schedule caused him to punt the vote, but said he still plans on bringing it up, possibly as soon as next week.

The movement toward lawmakers weighing in on potential military strikes against Iran comes as what Trump has described as a “massive armada,” including two aircraft carrier strike groups, floats in waters near Iran and more than 150 U.S. military aircraft sweep into bases in and around the region.

Trump has been amassing U.S. military might in the Middle East as he seeks to pressure Iran into accepting a new nuclear deal. Last week, he suggested he would give Tehran 10 to 15 days to agree to a deal. Another round of talks between U.S. and Iranian negotiators is scheduled for Thursday in Geneva.

At his State of the Union address Tuesday night, Trump gave little indication what his plans are at this point, but offered a warning for Iran’s leaders.

“We are in negotiations with them, they want to make a deal, but we haven’t heard those secret words: ‘We will never have a nuclear weapon,’” Trump said hours after Iran’s foreign minister posted on X that “Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon.”

“My preference is to solve this problem through diplomacy, but one thing is certain — I will never allow the world’s No. 1 sponsor of terror to have a nuclear weapon,” Trump added.

Kaine filed his Iran war powers resolution, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., last month as U.S.-Iran tensions started ramping up amid Trump’s threats to strike. The resolution would mandate the president “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”

Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution law, Kaine could have forced a vote on a motion to discharge his resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee as early as Feb. 13, but he said then he wanted to wait for the right time to act.

Now, while he wouldn’t commit to a specific timeline, Kaine said he is hoping to bring the resolution up prior to any strike.

“Put everybody on the record: do you think war with Iran is a good idea or bad idea? And the War Powers Resolution was crafted not only to stop an ongoing war, but to stop a war before it starts,” Kaine said Wednesday.

Massie’s resolution, which he introduced with Khanna last year, is similar to the Senate’s but, as a concurrent resolution, would not have the weight of law even if it cleared Congress.

Last week, Khanna vowed on social media to force a vote on the measure this week. But after he made that promise, the House canceled Monday roll call votes because of a snowstorm, and it left town late Wednesday morning to accommodate House Democrats’ retreat in Virginia.

“We want to make sure we build consensus. It was a two-day week,” Khanna said Wednesday about the delay in forcing a vote on the resolution.

But he made clear he still believes it is important to force a vote soon, even if the resolution is likely to fall short.

Trump “needs to see that there’s opposition,” Khanna said. “And if the vast majority of Republicans want to own another endless war in the Middle East, they can do that. But the Democrats are the party that says we are tired of wars overseas.”

_____