[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S3189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         War Powers Resolution

  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, in a few minutes, we will move into a 
series of votes, and one of the votes is a motion to proceed to a 
resolution that I filed a number of weeks back, an Iran War Powers 
Resolution.
  The current status of that resolution is that, about a month ago, we 
successfully discharged it from the Committee, and so it is now able to 
be called up on a motion to proceed.
  I want to just inform all of my colleagues that, while I am always 
going to vote for a motion to proceed to my resolution, the resolution 
is completely superfluous. It is completely superfluous because both 
Houses of Congress have now taken the historic step of voting for the 
first time, under the history of the War Powers Resolution, that the 
President of the United States cannot restart a war legally unless he 
asks Congress for permission. That has left the station.
  Both Houses--Republican majority--have said it will be illegal for 
Donald Trump to start back the war against Iran without a vote of 
Congress.
  And so any action on the motion to proceed to my resolution is 
superfluous because that vote is done, Congress has spoken, and the 
will of both Houses is now clear.
  So I will vote to proceed to my motion, but no one else should feel 
any stress about this one. Congress has clearly spoken and rebuked the 
President for starting an illegal war, and said he can't restart it 
without us.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Vermont.