Follow us on social

Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.)

Senator Kaine: US cannot go to war without a vote

The lawmaker's new resolution would prevent the use of military force against Iran without congressional approval

Reporting | QiOSK

As Israel and Iran continue to exchange blows, accelerating prospects for another major conflict in the region, Sen. Tim Kaine (D - Va.) is introducing a war powers resolution that would force a Senate floor debate and vote prior to any use of U.S. military force against Iran, except in the case of self-defense.

“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States,” Kaine said as he introduced the legislation. “I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict.”

Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, added: “the American people have no interest in sending servicemembers to fight another forever war in the Middle East. This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress.”

The legislation can be considered on the Senate floor after 10 calendar days.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) posted on X Saturday that he would introduce legislation that would block the use of federal funding for military force against Iran without Congressional authorization to do so, again with the exception of the U.S. acting in self-defense.

President Trump said Sunday that “it’s possible” the U.S. could get involved in Israel’s ongoing offensive against Iran, which Israel started with strikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities, top scientists, and senior military officials. The U.S., which gave Israel a “green light” to attack Iran, has been helping Israel strike down incoming ballistic missiles and drones. The U.S. is also shifting its military resources in the Middle East in response to the strikes.

Iran’s foreign minister said Sunday that Israel’s attack on Iran could not have happened "without the agreement and support of the United States,” explaining that Iranian officials do not believe repeated U.S. claims of non-involvement in Israel’s attack.

In 2020, Kaine had similarly led a Iran war powers resolution to prevent military involvement in hostilities with Iran without congressional approval; it passed through the Senate with bipartisan support but was subsequently vetoed by President Trump.

RS contacted Sen. Kaine’s office to request a comment about the legislation, which directed the publication to its statement on the legislation.


Top Image Credit: Sen. Tim Kaine: 'People don't join the military to face off against their fellow Americans' - MSNBC [YouTube - Screenshot]
Reporting | QiOSK
Bidenites make soft landing in heart of lucrative war industry
Top photo credit: Brett McGurk (Kuhlmann /MSC/Wikimedia Commons) and Lloyd Austin ((DoD Photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jack Sanders).

Bidenites make soft landing in heart of lucrative war industry

Military Industrial Complex

In 2021, Ret. Gen. Lloyd Austin declared he had “no intent to be a lobbyist.” On June 3, less than six months after leaving office, former President Joe Biden’s Secretary of Defense announced that he would be launching a new strategic advisory firm called “Clarion Strategies.” Some Senators allege this is simply lobbying by another name.

A pitch deck obtained by Politico noted that Clarion Strategies’ name is a “nod to its aim to equip clients with the clarity they need to navigate geopolitical upheaval driven by the war in Ukraine, advancements in defense technology like AI and unmanned systems, global trade shifts and emerging alliances among U.S. adversaries like Russia, China, North Korea and China.” In other words, the new firm is very much hoping to court clients from the defense industry.

keep readingShow less
Trump and Keith Kellogg
Top photo credit: U.S. President Donald Trump and Keith Kellogg (now Trump's Ukraine envoy) in 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Trump's silence on loss of Ukraine lithium territory speaks volumes

Europe

Last week, Russian military forces seized a valuable lithium field in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, the latest success of Moscow’s grinding summer offensive.

The lithium deposit in question is considered rather small by industry analysts, but is said to be a desirable prize nonetheless due to the concentration and high-quality of its ore. In other words, it is just the kind of asset that the Trump administration seemed eager to exploit when it signed its much heralded minerals agreement with Ukraine earlier this year.

keep readingShow less
Is the US now funding the bloodbath at Gaza aid centers?
Top photo credit: Palestinians walk to collect aid supplies from the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled/File Photo

Is the US now funding the bloodbath at Gaza aid centers?

Middle East

Many human rights organizations say it should shut down. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have killed hundreds of Palestinians at or around its aid centers. And yet, the U.S. has committed no less than $30 million toward the controversial, Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

As famine-like conditions grip Gaza, the GHF says it has given over 50 million meals to Palestinians at its four aid centers in central and southern Gaza Strip since late May. These centers are operated by armed U.S. private contractors, and secured by IDF forces present at or near them.

keep readingShow less

LATEST

QIOSK

Newsletter

Subscribe now to our weekly round-up and don't miss a beat with your favorite RS contributors and reporters, as well as staff analysis, opinion, and news promoting a positive, non-partisan vision of U.S. foreign policy.