A coalition of Senate Democrats on Monday unveiled a proposal aimed at potentially compelling votes on war powers unless Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio provide testimony regarding U.S. military operations in Iran.
“We’re attempting to push the Senate to fulfill its responsibilities,” Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., informed reporters during a press conference on Monday. “We will utilize every tool at our disposal to halt the status quo and compel the Senate to undertake its essential duties.”
Booker was accompanied by Senators Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Tim Kaine, D-Va., Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., all of whom are part of a faction that proposed a series of war powers resolutions last week aimed at preventing further military endeavors in Iran without the approval of Congress.
This represents a heightened effort by a collection of Democrats seeking to check President Donald Trump, asserting that he requires congressional consent to persist in the conflict. They contended that the Trump administration has failed to offer a sufficient rationale for the military actions.
“A president can initiate military operations without seeking our approval for two primary reasons: defense from an ongoing or imminent threat, or if Congress has already granted authorization,” Kaine stated.
During briefings, Kaine mentioned, “The administration has not claimed that any existing authorization grants them the authority to conduct this conflict… There is no evidence of imminent threat.”
The senators did not specify when they would initiate a vote, but Booker indicated that they were seeking “immediate action” to hold hearings with Hegseth and Rubio. Murphy urged Hegseth and Rubio to testify as early as next week.
“We will not permit the Senate to continue with business as usual. We refuse to let the Senate be mute until they at least make that commitment,” Murphy asserted. “I doubt they can justify this war.”
Last week, the Senate rejected a war powers resolution proposed by Kaine and Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky., with a vote of 47-53, falling short of the 50 votes needed to move the proposal forward. The House also defeated a similar resolution on Thursday, 212-219.
“We have put forth our resolutions to compel our Republican colleagues to recognize their responsibilities as senators, to serve as a check and balance to this administration,” Baldwin stated. “Our Republican colleagues have relinquished their obligations.”
