President Trump is considering military involvement in Iran as Israel’s attempts to disarm weapon facilities have turned into a regime change operation. Congress has responded by pushing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution to stop American forces from unconstitutional military engagement in the region.
The resolution, introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), seeks to uphold the constitutional requirement that Congress, not the executive, is the only entity that can make and declare war under Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the Constitution: “[The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; . . .”
Representative Massie, who has been lambasted by President Trump as a “grandstander,” said in a press release that “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.”
“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,” he continued.
The resolution’s Democratic co-sponsor, Rep. Khanna, added, “The American people do not want to be dragged into another disastrous conflict in the Middle East.”
Former Hillary Clinton vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced companion legislation in the Senate, demanding a “full briefing to Congress and the American public of the issues at stake, a public debate in Congress, and a congressional vote as contemplated by the Constitution” before any direct action is taken against the Iranians.
MAGA Responds to Threat of War
Republicans are divided on whether U.S. military intervention in Iran is warranted. But most of President Trump’s supporters appear to hold an anti-interventionist stance, which was articulated by President George Washington in his 1796 farewell address. American “entanglements” in foreign affairs, the first POTUS wrote, stood as the most “baneful foes of republican government.”
Critics of U.S. involvement in Iran also cite past failures at regime change attempts or disarming “weapons of mass destruction,” which was President George W. Bush’s stated goal in the early 2000s.
A war with Iran could also literally bankrupt the United States, according to radio legend Glenn Beck: “We literally cannot afford another war. Another war will put us, possibly, over the edge, and our economy will completely collapse.”
Tucker Carlson, an outspoken critic of forever wars, said in a viral post on X that the real political divide is not whether U.S. citizens are on the side of Israel or Iran, but rather “the real divide is between those who casually encourage violence, and those who seek to prevent it—between warmongers and peacemakers.”
In an explosive new interview with Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Tucker Carlson pushed Cruz, who has become an advocate of regime change in Iran, on his knowledge of basic facts about the nation he seeks to fundamentally change.
“How many people live in Iran, by the way?” Carlson inquired.
“I don’t know the population,” Cruz responded.
“At all?”
“No, I don’t know the population,” a frustrated Cruz said.
“You don’t know the population in the country you seek to topple?” Carlson continued.
Then Cruz asked Carlson the same question, and Carlson quickly retorted, “92 million,” adding, “How could you not know that?”
“I don’t sit around memorizing population tables,” said Cruz.
Cruz went on to say that the correct approach to foreign policy is a middle ground between the “isolationist” and warhawk wings of the Republican party.
Lindsey Graham, a longtime advocate of forever wars and regime change in Iran, said in a Fox News hit that America now has a “chance to end a threat to the state of Israel forever by replacing this [Iranian] regime with something better.”
Back to Basics
While President Trump campaigned on ending and avoiding endless wars, a stance affirmed by Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, it is clear the president is not unwilling to use military pressure to ensure Iran does not obtain nuclear weapons.
In mid-April of this year, President Trump gave the Iranians 60 days to make a deal; on the 61st day, Israel struck Tehran. After decades of U.S. presidents shifting the parameters in negotiations, it is possible that we are seeing President Trump attempting to restore U.S. credibility by upholding a line that the Iranians cannot cross.
History would indicate that George Washington’s advice to stay clear of unnecessary foreign entanglements is a successful policy. The executive branch should look to the first president’s timeless wisdom and heed the constitutional restraints for military escalation through mandating Congress’ authority to make and declare war.