US-Israeli Strikes Kill Iran's Khamenei, Sparking Middle East Crisis and War Powers Battle in Congress

Following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, congressional Democrats and at least one Republican moved to assert Congress's constitutional authority over the use of military force. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the author of a bipartisan war powers resolution, described the strikes as "a colossal mistake" and called on the Senate to immediately return from recess to vote on legislation that would require presidential authorization from Congress before any further military hostilities against Iran. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky also backed the measure. A House and Senate vote on respective war powers resolutions was expected as early as March 4.

The White House defended the operation as legally authorized under existing statutes and the president's Article II authority. Administration officials said congressional leadership and intelligence committee chairs had been briefed on escalating tensions with Iran earlier in the week before the strikes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was scheduled to provide a more detailed briefing to House and Senate leaders on Monday, March 2. The Senate had adjourned until that date.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated the administration had not provided lawmakers "critical details about the scope and immediacy of the threat" and urged Congress to reconvene quickly. Sen. Andy Kim of New Jersey, who previously served as Iraq Director at the White House National Security Council, told TIME that lawmakers were "being asked to accept military escalation without understanding the endgame." Former US military officials cited by The Intercept characterized the strikes as illegal under the 1973 War Powers Resolution and the UN Charter. The vote was expected to largely track party lines, though Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania publicly supported the strikes.

Pro-Trump attorneys and outside advisers were reported to be circulating a 17-page draft executive order that would give the president expansive authority over the administration of the 2026 midterm elections. First reported by The Washington Post on February 26, the document would invoke a national emergency declaration — citing alleged foreign interference in the 2020 election — to mandate hand-marked and publicly hand-counted paper ballots nationwide, require all voters to re-register with proof of citizenship ahead of November, and ban mail-in ballots. President Trump, speaking on February 28, said he was "not mulling" the circulating draft. However, Trump separately reaffirmed his vow that voter ID requirements would be implemented for the midterms "whether approved by Congress or not."

The House had already passed the SAVE America Act, 218-213, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot. The legislation now moves to the Senate, where it requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Republicans hold 53 Senate seats, and at least one Republican — Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — has publicly opposed the bill, warning that imposing new federal requirements on local election officials at this stage of preparations "would negatively impact election integrity."

Legal and election experts raised constitutional objections. Stanford Law professor Nate Persily stated the Constitution clearly assigns states, not the president, authority over the administration of federal elections, calling the draft order unconstitutional. The Brennan Center for Justice noted that earlier Trump administration election executive orders had already been struck down in court multiple times. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold characterized Trump as "one of the greatest threats to American elections."