Trump’s Iran strikes revived a long-running fight over who can take the US to war

The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, but presidents of both parties have stretched that authority for decades

U.S. military action has once again prompted some members of Congress to fight the Trump administration over who has the authority to wage war.

On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel began a military operation against Iran that killed the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The operation is ongoing.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who has partnered in recent months with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to author a war powers resolution on Iran, said shortly after the attacks that he wants the Senate to immediately vote on the measure.