Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Thursday stated his opposition to an upcoming vote in Washington on a Senate war powers resolution objecting to President Trump’s recent decision to strike Iran.
A reporter at the U.S. Capitol asked Sen. Fetterman whether or not he would vote with the resolution called by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).
“Well, I’ll say this, I love that man [Sen. Kaine], he’s coming at it from a very principled side, but I’m gonna vote no on that, simply because I would never want to restrict any future president, Republican or Democrat, to do this kind of military exercise, that was very successful,” Sen. Fetterman responded.
Passing the resolution could be difficult, as Republicans hold the majority in the Senate and largely support Trump following the announcement of an Israel-Iran ceasefire on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) defended Trump’s actions on Monday, and he said Trump is operating within his authority.
“There’s always a tension between Congress’ power to declare war and the president’s power as commander in chief,” Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) added.
“But I think the White House contacted its people, as many people as they could,” Sen. Kennedy continued.
The War Powers Act of 1973 was designed to limit a president’s authority to wage unilateral war without congressional approval. Some have accused Trump of breaking this rule by launching a war on Iran without a formal declaration or approval from Congress. However, Trump has maintained that his administration gave “courtesy calls” to leaders of both parties in Congress.
The Senate resolution requires congressional approval within 60 to 90 days, or an immediate withdrawal of forces from action.
The War Powers Act has been skirted by presidents since the law was passed, including by formers presidents Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama, arguing certain military actions did not constitute war.
Meanwhile in the House of Representatives, a bipartisan war powers resolution was introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA).
“We need to immediately return to DC and vote on [Rep. Massie’s] and my War Powers Resolution to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war,” Rep. Khanna said in a post on X.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) pushed back against this, asserting on Tuesday that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional.
“Many respected constitutional experts argue that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional. I’m persuaded by that argument,” Speaker Johnson told reporters in the Capitol.
“They think it’s a violation of the Article II powers of the commander in chief. I think that’s right,” he added.
Rep. Massie also signaled that he may withdraw his signature if the ceasefire held, saying he would “wait and see” on Tuesday.
