The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the introduction of a joint resolution (S.J.Res.59)by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) to prevent the Trump administration from involving U.S. armed forces in a war with Iran that Congress has not authorized.
Senator Kaine’s resolution invokes the War Powers Resolution to reassert Congress’s constitutional authority over matters of war, requiring that any future military action against Iran must be approved by Congress through a declaration of war or a specific Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).
SEE: Kaine Announces the Filing of a War Powers Resolution to Prevent War with Iran
CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“This resolution is an urgent call to end unchecked military escalation. The resolution reasserts that war powers are not a one-man show. The American people, through their elected representatives in Congress, must decide when and how our nation goes to war—not any one president alone. We welcome this strong step toward restoring constitutional war powers and preventing the United States from being dragged into another costly and catastrophic war in the Middle East.”
Despite never receiving a congressional declaration of war against Iran, Trump engaged in unilateral military actions—including the 2020 assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani—that brought the U.S. to the brink of a wider war.
Last Friday, Israel’s surprise bombardment of Iran marked a dangerous escalation in the volatile Middle East. The strikes targeted military and nuclear sites, as well as civilian infrastructure, killing dozens—including senior Iranian officials and nuclear scientists. By providing Israel with the weapons and support to launch these attacks, the Trump administration is provoking a conflict that neither Congress nor the American people support.
SEE: CAIR Responds to Israeli Strikes on Iran, Demands Trump Halt U.S. Weapons Transfers Enabling Netanyahu’s Expanding War
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com