Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) told reporters on Wednesday that a Senate resolution blocking the use of military force against Iran without congressional authorization is likely to come up for a vote next week, though it could come as early as Thursday.

“The president made no real case last night as to why we should be in a war with Iran,” Kaine said, referring to Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday evening, where some Democrats hoped he would lay out a clear approach and strategy to his engagement with Tehran.

Kaine said that the timing of the vote may be affected by both the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran in Geneva on Thursday, as well as some Senate absences this week.

“We want [the diplomacy] to work. Would the vote help it, would it hurt it?” Kaine said. “[Senate Minority Leader Chuck] Schumer knows I’m full-speed ahead.”

Asked whether he thinks Democrats will unite behind the resolution, Kaine noted that only Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) opposed a separate resolution after the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last summer.

“We should not send our sons and daughters into another war in the Middle East. [Trump] declared the nuclear program was obliterated just a few months ago. So, what — now we’re going to go to war to stop a nuclear program?” Kaine said, accusing Trump of “stumbl[ing] us toward” a potential war by leaving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, in his first term.

Kaine emphasized that the current deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald Ford to the Middle East is significantly longer than normal, with the extended mission pushing the ship and its sailors beyond normal limits.

The Virginia senator pointed out the carrier — already at sea for about eight months — is now facing maintenance issues. Normally, such issues would be addressed during scheduled repairs following a six-month deployment. Instead, those repairs are being deferred because of the ship’s extended time away.
A vote on similar legislation in the House was originally expected this week, but has now been pushed until at least next week. A handful of House Democrats have voiced opposition to that resolution, and some others have declined to say how they plan to vote.

Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) plan to introduce and attempt to force a vote on a war powers resolution blocking military action against Iran without congressional authorization, as the Trump administration appears to be moving closer to military action against the Islamic Republic.

“[Massie] & I have a War Powers Resolution to debate & vote on war before putting U.S. troops in harm’s way. I will make a motion to discharge to force a vote on it next week,” Khanna wrote on X on Wednesday.

He framed the legislation as an attempt to block a “disastrous war” with Iran that “would be catastrophic.”

“Like the votes before the Iraq war, this could be one of the most consequential votes in the history of Congress,” Khanna said. “Are we going to stop another endless dumb foreign war? Or will the neoconservatives mislead us once again?”

He said that lawmakers must go on the record about where they stand on a potential conflict.

“A war with Iran would be catastrophic. Iran is a complex society of 90 million people with significant air defenses and military capabilities. We also have 30-40k U.S. troops in the region who could be at risk of retaliation. Congress must do its job and stop this march to war,” Khanna said.

Once introduced, there will be a waiting period of 15 House session days before the lawmakers can force a vote on the resolution.

Similar legislation is pending in the Senate, introduced by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rand Paul (R-KY), but the two have not yet called it up for a vote. Kaine said last week he was waiting to see the trajectory of the negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.

Several similar resolutions were introduced by House lawmakers after the Operation Midnight Hammer strikes last June, but never came to votes.