Press Release

POGO Supports Senate Resolution to Limit President’s War Powers in Iran

The Senate should pass the resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that aims to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran.
An American flag lines the inside of a U.S. Soldier's helmet at Forward Operating Base Azim Jan Karez in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Dec. 16, 2012. (Photo: DOD / D. Myles Cullen)

(WASHINGTON)—The Senate should pass the resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) that aims to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran. The resolution is an important step as Congress attempts to claw back its war powers from the executive branch, and it’s encouraging that senators on both sides of the aisle are backing this measure.

The Senate must continue to take even stronger steps to re-assert its authority, including holding hearings on the strike against Qassem Soleimani, and voting to repeal the 2002 Iraq War authorization, as the House of Representatives recently did. The Constitution gives Congress, not the President, the power to declare war.

“Congress must make clear that it will no longer allow the executive to unilaterally start and expand wars. This resolution is an important first step,” said Katherine Hawkins, senior legal analyst for the Constitution Project at POGO.

Media Contacts:Katherine Hawkins, Senior Legal Analyst at the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), [email protected] or (202) 347-1122; or Caitlin MacNeal, Media Relations Manager at POGO, [email protected] or (202) 347-1122

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Founded in 1981, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is a nonpartisan independent watchdog that investigates and exposes waste, corruption, abuse of power, and when the government fails to serve the public or silences those who report wrongdoing.

We champion reforms to achieve a more effective, ethical, and accountable federal government that safeguards constitutional principles.