Overview

• Senator Tim Kaine introduced the privileged measure on June 16 to bar President Trump from striking Iran without explicit congressional authorization
• Under U.S. law the resolution must be debated and voted on promptly in the Senate as part of war powers oversight
• The legislation emphasizes Congress’s sole constitutional authority to declare war amid fears U.S. forces could be drawn into the Middle East conflict
• Israel’s June 13 air raids on Iran’s nuclear and missile sites and Iran’s reciprocal missile attacks have caused civilian casualties and stoked regional instability
• President Trump has publicly backed diplomacy over military escalation, urging Iranian leaders to negotiate a new nuclear deal to avoid another prolonged Middle East war