In a rare display of bipartisanship, Representatives Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) have introduced a concurrent War Powers Resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities involving Iran unless expressly authorized by Congress. The measure comes in the wake of Operation Rising Lion — the name given by Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu for Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 13, which has quickly escalated into a tit-for-tat exchange of missiles between the two nations.
The resolution invokes the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and asserts that the president must terminate any ongoing U.S. military engagement in or against Iran unless there is a formal declaration of war or a specific statutory authorization for the use of force from Congress, neither of which has occurred as of the writing of this article. The proposed legislation explicitly prohibits U.S. hostilities against Iran’s government or military, while preserving the president’s authority to respond to imminent threats and allowing continued intelligence cooperation where necessary.
“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,” said Massie in a press release. “Congress has the sole power to declare war against Iran. The ongoing war between Israel and Iran is not our war. Even if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution.”
Representative Khanna added, “No president should be able to bypass Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war. The American people do not want to be dragged into another disastrous conflict in the Middle East. I’m proud to lead this bipartisan War Powers Resolution with Rep. Massie to reassert that any military action against Iran must be authorized by Congress.”
The resolution stresses that only “Congress has the sole power to declare war under article 1, section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution,” further noting that “Congress has not declared war with respect to, or provided a specific statutory authorization for, hostilities involving United States Armed Forces against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The Massie-Khanna resolution also reinforces the provisions of the War Powers Resolution, which requires the president to withdraw U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities upon congressional directive. According to Section 5(c) of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, “at any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the United States, its possessions and territories without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if Congress so directs.”
Additionally, the Massie-Khanna resolution carefully limits its scope. While directing an end to unauthorized military intervention, it makes it clear that it does not prohibit or restrict the United States from “defending itself from imminent attack.” Nor does it impede U.S. intelligence gathering and sharing operations with allies:
Nothing in this joint resolution may be construed to influence or disrupt any intelligence, counterintelligence, or investigative activities relating to threats in or emanating from Iran conducted by, or in conjunction with, the United States Government involving —
(1) the collection of intelligence;
(2) the analysis of intelligence; or
(3) the sharing of intelligence between the United States and any coalition partner if the President determines such sharing is appropriate and in the national security interests of the United States.
Furthermore, section 4 of the resolution explicitly states that “nothing in this concurrent resolution may be construed as authorizing the use of military force.”
The list of original sponsors includes Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.). In the Senate, companion legislation has been introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who has previously advocated for restoring congressional war powers.
The resolution could, at the very least, force a debate and possibly a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives within 15 days, regardless of any committee action. Congressman Massie’s resolution marks a serious legislative effort and opportunity for Congress to reclaim and reassert its constitutional authority over warmaking decisions. Many MAGA supporters have expressed that a key reason they voted for President Trump in November 2024 was to keep the United States out of war — whether it be against Russia over Ukraine or in the Middle East against Iran.
In fact, Trump repeatedly criticized President Barack Obama’s interventionist foreign policy, accusing him of wanting to start a war with Iran.
On November 29, 2011, Donald Trump tweeted:
On January 17, 2012, Trump tweeted:
On October 9, 2012, he tweeted:
On September 16, 2013, he then tweeted:
Nine days later, Trump followed up by tweeting:
And on November 10, 2013, he further tweeted:
The question remains whether Trump will remain consistent and avoid U.S. involvement in a war against Iran or if he will heed the interventionist voices of those calling for war, such as Mark Levin and other neoconservatives.
As for Massie’s and Khanna’s attempt to rein in the president’s ability to drag the country into a new war, their concurrent resolution represents a critical step in restoring the constitutional boundaries of American war powers that the Founding Fathers originally intended.
Americans and the current president would do well to heed the advice of the country’s first president under the Constitution. In his Farewell Address in 1796, President George Washington wrote, “The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign Nations is in extending our commercial relations to have with them as little political connection as possible.”