The Iran war that began on February 28, 2026 with the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has still not ended as of June 4, 2026. The long drawn conflict was a result of the United States and Israel’s strikes on Iran’s military sites and leadership. The war has since sparked widespread debates throughout the country.
Though people may be divided on the validity and necessity of the war itself, the lack of congressional say in the matter is more or less indisputable. According to the War Powers Resolution, Congress must have as much of a say in a declaration of war as the President. However, the absence of the vote on declaring war and maintaining it in both the House of Representatives and the Senate indicates that the war may be more of a one way decision than most perceive.
“Within sixty calendar days… the President shall terminate any use of United States Armed Forces… unless the Congress (1) has declared war or has enacted a specific authorization for such use of United States Armed Forces, (2) has extended by law such sixty-day period, or (3) is physically unable to meet as a result of an armed attack upon the United States,” states the War Powers Resolution, Chapter 33 of the United States Code as specified here.
As of today, ninety-six calendar days have passed without the conflict being explicitly voted on. This begs the question as to why protocol is not being followed. Still, the reason behind Congress’s silence remains a gray area.
“Congress doesn’t want to lose that power and the President doesn’t want to lose that power. And so that’s kind of traditionally why it hasn’t been challenged. And in this case, it’s not going to be because both houses are controlled by the Republicans,” said Brent Copenhaver, government and economics teacher.
In the past as well as now, neither the Congress nor the President want to come across to the public as having lesser power or authority in decision making. Both the House and the Senate being controlled by Republicans under a Republican president makes opposition to the Iran war more likely to fail than not. At the end of the day, all of it might boil down to a power play rather than concern for the public that members of Congress represent.
On top of this, regardless of a politician’s or person’s views on whether the war is constitutional or not, the fact remains that residents of America are indeed affected. Since the conflict began, multiple US military personnel have been killed and hundreds have been wounded. The war also has directly increased the cost of living by bumping up prices of fuel and energy: aspects essential to daily life.
“Gas prices are going up higher and higher. Part of that has been tariffs, but a big part of that has been the war and the Strait of Hormuz and the impact on the flow of oil around the world, and that has driven up gas prices dramatically, compounding the [initial] impact of the tariffs, too,” said Suzan DelBene, U.S. Representative for Washington’s 1st Congressional District and the Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).
The war in Iran and Congress’ missing votes do not only showcase a failure to represent the people of America and their needs but also sets up a system where elected officials do not hold definitive power. This threatens the future of democratic practices.
“Congress loses more of its constitutional power, and both the current president and future presidents can take this example and run with it in the future,” said Copenhaver.
The people in this country may be divided on this issue and many others. However, one thing they might all agree on is the fact that the people they elect and put in office must be in a position to represent them. That is the aspect of American democracy that makes it a great country.
“Congress needs to act. Congress is an independent branch. It does not have to rubber stamp what the president does, and unfortunately, we need more members of Congress who are standing up to make sure we are using our authority, because that would make a huge difference,” said Congresswoman DelBene.
