War Powers

Senate Punts on Iran War Powers as Ground War Grows More Likely

Lawmakers are refusing to acknowledge what is increasingly looking like a big, long war.

Matthew Petti | 3.5.2026 1:31 PM

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(Credit: Arash Khamooshi/Polaris/Newscom)

On February 24, 2022, the Russian government announced the beginning of a "special military operation" in Ukraine. Russian propagandists—as well as the CIA—predicted that Ukraine wouldn't last more than a few days. Four years later, the Ukrainian military is carrying out mass air raids inside Russian territory.

A few days after the fourth anniversary of that war, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the beginning of a surprise "major military operation" to bring "freedom" to the people of Iran. He and his advisors insisted that the war would be over quickly, maybe within a few weeks. Now, five days into the war, U.S. Central Command is reportedly preparing for combat that will last at least 100 days and perhaps until September.

But members of Congress are still insisting that the war is not a war. On Wednesday night, the Senate voted down a war powers resolution that would restrain the president. Republicans incoherently insisted that the United States is not at war and has already been at war with Iran. Some Democratic........

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