U.S.-Israel Strikes on Iran Enter Day 4; Congress Moves Toward War Powers Vote

As U.S. forces remained engaged in Iran, both chambers of Congress moved toward floor votes on war powers resolutions that would require the president to obtain formal congressional authorization before continuing or escalating military operations. Senate Democratic leaders — Senators Tim Kaine, Chuck Schumer, and Adam Schiff — announced the Senate would hold a vote on a bipartisan war powers measure. House Speaker Mike Johnson separately told Republican members to prepare for a Thursday vote on a comparable resolution.

The measures invoke the War Powers Resolution of 1973, passed during the Vietnam War as a check on executive military authority. That law requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying armed forces and prohibits engagements from continuing beyond 60 days without congressional authorization. President Trump ordered the strikes on Iran without first securing a congressional authorization for the use of military force. Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed senators and House members on Capitol Hill on March 3 on the scope and objectives of the operation, which the White House described in a memo to Republican lawmakers as aimed at dismantling Iran's naval capabilities and permanently preventing it from developing nuclear weapons.

Analysts and lawmakers from both parties assessed the resolutions were unlikely to become law. Even if passed, President Trump would almost certainly veto any such measure. Neither chamber appeared to hold the two-thirds majority required to override a presidential veto. The Washington Times reported the resolutions were headed for defeat, with most Republican lawmakers signaling they would support the administration's position.

Three states — Texas, North Carolina, and Arkansas — held primary elections on March 3, 2026, opening the 2026 midterm election cycle. The results established several November matchups that will factor into the competition for control of the U.S. House and Senate.

In Texas, state Representative James Talarico won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, defeating U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, according to CNN projections. On the Republican side, incumbent Senator John Cornyn and state Attorney General Ken Paxton advanced to a May 26 runoff, as neither candidate crossed the threshold for an outright win. In North Carolina, former Governor Roy Cooper claimed the Democratic Senate nomination, while former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley secured the Republican nod. The two will face off in November for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Senator Thom Tillis. In Arkansas, Senator Tom Cotton secured the Republican Senate nomination; incumbent Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders won the Republican gubernatorial primary without advancing to a runoff.

The three-state primary day represents the first significant electoral activity before November, when all 435 House seats and 34 Senate seats will be on the ballot. Control of both chambers is currently in play.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee on March 3 for an oversight hearing focused on immigration enforcement and the January 2026 deaths of two U.S. citizens at the hands of federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. The hearing marked Noem's first congressional appearance since the incidents.

The two individuals were Renee Macklin Good, fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, and Alex Pretti, 37, shot by Customs and Border Protection officers, both in Minneapolis in January. Administration officials initially described both as "domestic terrorists." Subsequent video evidence released after the shootings contradicted aspects of that characterization and prompted criticism from lawmakers in both parties. During the hearing, Noem declined to retract or apologize for those statements. NBC News reported that Noem did not retract her description of the two as domestic terrorists despite the contradicting evidence.

Senators also questioned Noem on the Department of Homeland Security's use of administrative warrants — which do not require judicial approval — to conduct searches of private homes and property during immigration enforcement operations. The committee also sought assurances that immigration officers would not be deployed to polling places ahead of November's midterm elections, given that primary voting had begun earlier that day.