In a break from President Donald Trump, U.S. Congressman Thomas Massie, who represents a swath of northern Kentucky, introduced a bipartisan “War Powers Resolution” Tuesday in order to prevent American involvement in the rapidly escalating Israel-Iran conflict.
“This is not our war,” Massie wrote. “Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”
The latest escalation began Friday when Israel attacked dozens of targets across Iran to destroy the country’s nuclear program, cripple their air defenses and take out top officials, according to Israel, although Tehran continues to launch its own assault.
As of Monday, more than 220 Iranian civilians have been killed since the Israeli offensive began and 1,000 injured, according to Iran’s United Nations ambassador. At least 24 Israelis have been killed and 600 injured per the Israeli prime minister’s office Monday.
Massie, who has frequently broken from party lines on similar foreign policy issues, is cosponsoring or introducing legislation to scale back U.S. military involvement in the conflict and limit the president’s powers to enter it without Congressional approval.
"The Constitution does not permit the executive branch to unilaterally commit an
act of war against a sovereign nation that hasn't attacked the United States," Massie said in a release Tuesday.
It's not the first time Massie has called for legislation to require the Trump administration to receive explicit Congressional authorization before taking military action against Iran — he and a former Democratic congressman made the same push during the first Trump administration in 2019.
Several Democrats expressed their support for the measure, including California Rep. Ro Khanna who said he is co-leading the resolution with Massie. Khanna said on social media the resolution is privileged. That means it can be called for debate and floor vote after 15 days if a committee doesn’t act on it first, according to Massie.
“No war in Iran. It's time for every member to go on record,” Khanna wrote. “Are you with the neocons who led us into Iraq or do you stand with the American people?”
A few other prominent Democrats have also expressed support for the resolution, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Rashida Tlaib. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced his own resolution in the Senate Monday to require explicit congressional approval or a declaration of war before the U.S. takes direct action against Iran.
In an ABC News interview, Trump declined to say whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally asked for the U.S. to get more involved in the conflict, Trump said “it’s possible we could get involved.”
After leaving the Group of Seven summit in Canada a day early, Trump told reporters he’s not looking for a ceasefire saying he wants a “real end” to the conflict and isn’t “too much in the mood to negotiate.”
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
