We Need a War Powers Act Debate, Says Rep. Ivey

As the war in Iran drags into its third week, Rep. Glenn Ivey joins David Gura and Christina Ruffini on Bloomberg This Weekend to discuss whether Congress is considering providing $200 billion in additional funding for the war in Iran, US President Donald Trump's declaration that ICE will be working in American airports and the progress of the fight to fund the Department of Homeland Security. Watch the show LIVE every Saturday and Sunday morning.  President Donald Trump took the United States to war without a vote of support from Congress, but lawmakers are increasingly questioning when, how and at what cost the war with Iran will come to an end.

Three weeks into the conflict, the toll is becoming apparent. At least 13 U.S. military personnel have died, and more than 230 have been wounded. A $200 billion request from the Pentagon for war funds is pending at the White House. Allies are under attack, oil prices are spiking and thousands of U.S. troops are deploying to the Middle East with no endgame in sight.

“The real question is: What ultimately are we trying to accomplish?” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told The Associated Press.

“I generally support anything that takes out the mullahs,” he said. “But at the end of the day, there has to be a kind of strategic articulation of the strategy, what our objectives are."

Trump said late Friday that he was considering “winding down” the military operations even as he outlined new objectives and goals.

Congress stands still

The Republican president's decision to launch the U.S.-Israel-led war with Iran is testing the resolve of the Congress, which is controlled by his party. Republicans have largely stood by the commander in chief, but will soon be faced with more consequential wartime choices.

Under the War Powers Act, the president can conduct military operations for 60 days without approval from Congress. So far, Republicans have easily voted down several resolutions from Democrats designed to halt the military campaign.

But the administration will need to show a more comprehensive strategy ahead or risk blowback from Congress, lawmakers said, especially as they are simultaneously being asked to approve billions in new spending.

Trump’s quip the war will end “when I feel it in my bones” has drawn alarm.

“When he feels it in his bones? That’s crazy,” said Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

House speaker says mission is ‘all but done’

The president’s party appears unlikely to directly challenge him, even as the conflict drags on. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said the military operation will be over quickly.

“I do think the original mission is virtually accomplished now," Johnson, R-La., told the AP and others at the Capitol this week.

"We were trying to take out the ballistic missiles, and their means of production, and neuter the navy, and those objectives have been met,” he said.

Johnson acknowledged that Iran's ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz is “dragging it out a little bit,” especially as U.S. allies have largely rebuffed the president's request for help.

“As soon as we bring some calm to the situation, I think it’s all but done,” Johnson said.

But the administration’s stated goals — of ending Iran's ability to obtain a nuclear weapon and degrading its ballistic missile supplies, among others — have perplexed lawmakers as shifting and elusive.

″ Regime change? Not likely. Get rid of the enriched uranium? Not without boots on the ground,” Warner said.

“If I'm advising the president, I would have said: Before you take on a war of choice, make the case clear to the American people what our goals are," he said.

Congress retains the power of the purse

The Pentagon has told the White House it is seeking an additional $200 billion for the war effort, an extraordinary amount that is unlikely to win support. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York called the amount “preposterous.”

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