Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said Democrats plan to force a War Powers vote every week until the Iran war ends, arguing the conflict is illegal without congressional approval and warning the White House will face stiff resistance to a major defense-budget increase tied to the war.
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said Democrats will try to compel the Senate to vote every week on legislation invoking Congress’ war powers as the U.S. military campaign involving Iran continues.
In an interview with NPR’s A Martínez published Thursday, Kaine said Senate Republicans have already rejected four separate War Powers measures aimed at restricting President Donald Trump’s actions against Iran, and that Democrats intend to keep forcing votes. “We’re going to force a war powers vote every week until this war is over,” Kaine said in the interview, adding that the strategy is meant either to help end the conflict or to clarify for voters who is backing its continuation.
Kaine tied his criticism to what he described as ongoing costs at home and continued deployments. He said Trump has repeatedly claimed “mission accomplished,” but argued that as long as Virginians remain deployed “in a theater of war” and Americans are paying “a buck more per gallon for gas,” the mission cannot be considered finished.
Kaine also said he plans to use the budget process to pressure the administration. He told NPR the White House has requested an increase in the annual defense budget from about $800 billion to roughly $1.5 trillion, and that he expects an additional supplemental request for more funding tied to the Iran war. Kaine said appropriations bills generally require 60 votes in the Senate, which he described as leverage to prevent what he called a “blank check for another endless war.”
Calling the conflict “illegal” and “unwise,” Kaine said Trump initiated it without coming to Congress and without what he described as a clear rationale, plan, allied support, or public backing. He said Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, has voted with Democrats on the legality issue.
Kaine also cited strain on the military, pointing to the USS Gerald R. Ford’s deployment. He said the carrier “just passed the longest deployment in the history of the United States,” and said sailors were expected home by Christmas but remained at sea as of mid-April.
Some Republicans, Kaine said, have told him they expect action once the war reaches a 60-day mark under the War Powers framework. In the NPR interview, Kaine described that as occurring “at the end of March,” though other reporting has noted that the statutory timeline can hinge on when the administration formally notifies Congress.
Pressed on how the war might end, Kaine said it “has got to end at a negotiating table,” and argued the conflict has contributed to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz and higher gas prices.
