U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffias (D-N.Y.) speaks during a government shutdown press conference at the U.S. Capitol on October 8, 2025 in Washington, DC.
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Congressional Democrats will force a vote on a war powers resolution on Iran next week, Democratic leaders announced Thursday, as President Donald Trump undertakes a massive military buildup in the region. The resolution would limit President Trump’s ability to take military action there.
Representatives Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced a measure known as the War Powers Resolution that would force the administration to seek Congressional approval before engaging in further activities in Iran. Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the sole power to declare war, but in recent years that power has been expanded by the executive branch.
“We will force a vote of the full House on the bipartisan Khanna-Massey war powers resolution when Congress reconvenes next week,” Democratic leaders led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said in a statement.
“The Iranian regime has been brutal and destabilizing, with thousands of protesters recently killed,” the statement said. “But it would be reckless to wage a war of choice in the Middle East without fully understanding the military personnel and all the risks associated with escalation.”
If the War Powers Resolution passes the House, it would also need Senate approval. But a bipartisan group of lawmakers recently opposed the resolution, making it far from guaranteed passage in the House.
Reps. Mike Lawler (RN.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (DN.J.) issued a statement last week opposing the measure, citing concerns about Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.
“We respect and defend Congress’s constitutional role in matters of war. Oversight and debate are absolutely essential,” they wrote. “However, this resolution limits the flexibility needed to respond to real and evolving threats and risks, demonstrating weakness in a moment of danger.”
President Trump has overseen a massive military buildup in the Middle East and threatened to attack Iran. The regime is also negotiating with Tehran over the country’s nuclear program. The two countries held a third round of talks in Geneva on Thursday.
Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said in a post on X that there had been “significant progress” in negotiations that day. He said technical talks would continue in Vienna next week and the leaders would reconvene “soon after consultations in their respective capitals.”
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday, the president said he wanted to resolve the Iran situation diplomatically, but would not take military power off the table.
President Trump said, “I will never allow the world’s largest sponsor of terrorism to acquire nuclear weapons.”
