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Lawmakers are debating what role Congress should play as the White House weighs its options in Iran.
Does the legislative body have sole power to declare war, or should that power be ceded to the president?
The back and forth comes as President Donald Trump mulls whether to join Israel in its campaign against Iran or continue pushing for a diplomatic end and return to the negotiating table to hammer out a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic.
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President Donald Trump June 15, 2025 (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Helping to ignite the arguments on Capitol Hill are a pair of resolutions in the Senate and House that would require debate and a vote before any force is used against Iran. The measures are designed to put a check on Trump’s power and reaffirm Congress’ constitutional authority.
Senators on both sides of the aisle are divided on whether they believe they have sole authority to authorize a strike against Iran or if Trump can do so on his own volition. A predominant argument is that the entire point of supporting Israel is to prevent the Islamic Republic from creating or acquiring a nuclear weapon.
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Israel has been successful in taking out a few pieces of infrastructure that were key to that mission but has yet to do real damage to the highly-fortified Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and would likely need help from the U.S. to crack through the layers of rock shielding the site.
“The Constitution says the prerogative to declare war, the power to declare war, is solely from the Congress,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky, told Fox News Digital. “It can’t originate from the White House. There is no constitutional authority for the president to bomb anyone without asking permission first.”
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talks with reporters in the U.S. Capitol after…
