Overview
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Wednesday that Democrats will force a vote next week to require the president to seek congressional approval for further military action in Iran.
- The renewed effort follows a U.S.–Iran two-week ceasefire announced late Tuesday, hours after Trump warned that a “whole civilization will die tonight” and threatened to bomb power plants and bridges if Iran kept the Strait of Hormuz closed.
- The White House argues the president’s strikes fall under commander-in-chief authority, while a few Republicans, including Sens. John Curtis and Lisa Murkowski, have signaled openness to limits on further action.
- In the House, leaders are eyeing a vote on Rep. Gregory Meeks’s plan to enforce the 1973 War Powers law, which requires an end to hostilities within 60 to 90 days unless Congress authorizes force, with defensive actions still allowed.
- Previous efforts to rein in the president have failed in both chambers, and the stakes remain high as reporting cites 13 U.S. service members killed and more than 300 injured, with rising gas prices intensifying calls for clearer oversight.