Congress Can Stop Trump and Netanyahu’s Disastrous, Escalating Iran War

March 16, 2026 – In response to the spread of the US-Israeli war on Iran, Center for International Policy Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:

“As it enters its third week, the US-Israeli war on Iran has escalated into a deadly regional conflict – destabilizing the entire Middle East and undermining global security. At least thirteen U.S. service members have died in the conflict, more than a thousand civilians have been killed across the region, including three hundred children, and over four million people have been displaced.

Millions of people remain in harm’s way as the war spreads to an Israeli invasion in Lebanon and preparation for a possible U.S. ground assault in Iran. Despite President Trump’s repeated claims of success, his demands for support from US allies, particularly to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, indicate a deeply irresponsible lack of planning or strategy for his reckless war.

Congress has the power to stop this descent to chaos.

Lawmakers should hold further votes under the War Powers Resolution to disengage US forces from hostilities with Iran as additional colleagues signal a willingness to support them. While these measures are unlikely in the near term to be fully enacted or serve as a sufficient constraint on the president, they are an important tool to demonstrate the intense political opposition to this war.

It is also critical for lawmakers to exercise the key power they have to restrain the president: the power of the purse. They must deny him a single dollar in new funding for his unauthorized and ballooning war. Both practically and politically, a vote to fund the war is a vote to support and continue the war. Capitulating to Trump’s demand for billions of dollars in new taxpayer funds won’t enhance U.S. security or support our troops–it will allow the president to continue to imperil both by continuing the war that has put them in jeopardy.

It is time for Congress to perform its constitutional duty, uphold the rule of law and the will of the people, and stop this illegal and unnecessary war.”

---

---