The constitutional check on presidential war powers has collapsed. Congress, tasked with declaring war and authorizing military action, has repeatedly failed to challenge President Donald Trump's expanding conflict with Iran. The War Powers Resolution of 1973, designed to prevent another Vietnam-style quagmire, has become a dead letter.
In June, a House resolution invoking the War Powers Act fell short of the votes needed. On Thursday, a second attempt passed the House 214-208 but was rejected by the Senate hours later, 47-49. Even if it had cleared both chambers, Trump would have vetoed it, and the votes weren't there to override. Now Congress is set to adjourn in August, and the fighting grinds on.
The costs are mounting. The Pentagon has acknowledged 18 U.S. service members killed and 624 wounded. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine reported more than 13,000 strikes against Iran by April; that figure may have doubled. The administration has requested an additional $67 billion to fund the war. At least 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones, each worth roughly $30 million, have been lost, with recent unconfirmed reports of eight more destroyed while still in crates.
Public opposition is intensifying. In March, 53 percent of Americans opposed the Iran war, and 74 percent rejected sending ground troops. By early this month, 68 percent were against the conflict overall. As oil prices surge above $100 a barrel, energy costs are climbing, hitting households and industries. The economic ripple effects extend beyond gas to fertilizers and basic commodities.
Trump has promised "revenge" strikes targeting Iranian civilian infrastructure like bridges and power plants, a move that risks crossing into war crimes territory. Iran has already hit desalination and power plants in Gulf states. A campaign to destroy such facilities would trigger a humanitarian catastrophe, as Gulf nations depend on desalination for nearly all fresh water.
The conflict has spread to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening global shipping. With oil prices high and fertilizer supplies disrupted, a global recession is no longer unthinkable. Senator Cassidy has warned the war is unlikely to end soon and urged Congress to act, but lawmakers remain paralyzed.
The War Powers Act gives the president 48 hours to notify Congress after committing forces, then 60 days to obtain authorization or withdraw. Trump has ignored both deadlines. Congress could cut off funding, as it did during Vietnam, but has shown no appetite for that fight. Impeachment, once a possibility, has been abandoned.
Harlan Ullman, senior adviser at the Atlantic Council and author of the shock-and-awe doctrine, calls this failure "outrageous." He argues that a functioning Congress would have challenged the president. Instead, the U.S. is drifting deeper into a conflict that most Americans oppose, with no end in sight.
