Senator Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, has found a way to repeatedly occupy floor time and force all senators to take votes challenging President Trump’s use of military force.
A handful of Democrats joined Republicans to defeat an effort to force President Trump to go to Congress for approval to continue using force against Iran, while two G.O.P. lawmakers backed it.
Presidents have sidestepped Congress to launch limited military strikes for decades. Trump’s decision to attack Iran is an aggressive escalation.
Nearly every Republican voted to block a measure that would require that President Trump win authorization from Congress to continue the offensive in the Middle East.
The administration’s shifting justifications for the military operation alarmed Democrats, who said no clear rationale had been given. Republicans struggled to echo the evolving explanations.
The United States and Israel started a war with Iran by killing its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Lawmakers questioned whether the United States faced an “imminent” threat from Iran, a requirement for the president to lawfully initiate military action without congressional approval.
Critics say the president is violating the Constitution, and many Democrats and at least two Republicans in Congress say they must vote on whether to enter such a conflict.
Critics say the president is violating the Constitution, and many Democrats and at least two Republicans in Congress say they must vote on whether to enter such a conflict.
Following the attack, Democrats and a few Republicans escalated their calls for swift votes on whether to curb the president’s power to continue using force against Iran without explicit authorization.