Kaine introduces war powers resolution to force debate on Iran

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine has introduced a war powers resolution to force debate in Congress on the possible escalation of hostilities with Iran.

Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, said Friday he is “deeply concerned” that President Trump will stumble into a war with Iran.

“We’re now at a boiling point, and Congress must step in before Trump puts even more of our troops in harm’s way,” Kaine said, as the fallout from the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani deepens.

American officials say Soleimani was helping orchestrate assaults on the U.S. embassy and, they say, was developing plans for wider, more systematic assaults on American diplomats.

The airstrike has come under criticism both domestically and internationally as Iranian leaders are pledging retaliation, and President Trump has been provoking the country’s leadership on social media.

“We owe it to our servicemembers to have a debate and vote about whether or not it’s in our national interest to engage in another unnecessary war in the Middle East,” Kaine said.

War powers resolutions are privileged, meaning that the Senate will be forced to vote on the legislation. The resolution underscores that Congress has the sole power to declare war, as laid out in the Constitution, and requires that any hostilities with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force.

The resolution will force a public debate and vote in Congress as intended by the framers of the Constitution to determine whether United States forces should be engaged in these hostilities.

You can read the text of the resolution here.

You can watch video of Kaine announcing the war powers resolution on MSNBC here.