Mike Johnson opposes resolution to prevent military intervention in Iran without congressional approval

Republican Congressman and US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday spoke out against a bipartisan war powers resolution, which seeks to prevent military intervention in Iran without prior congressional approval. Johnson's pronouncement represents another sign of the support U.S. President Donald Trump has received from numerous senior figures in both his administration and the Republican Party after dozens of lawmakers questioned the U.S. bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday.

Asked by several reporters whether he would allow the resolution to come to the floor for a vote, Johnson dismissed the importance of the bipartisan measure by assuring that this was nothing more than a political effort, adding further that several presidents, both Republicans and Democrats, have authorized military strikes in the past without congressional approval. "I don’t think this is an appropriate time for a war powers resolution, and I don’t think it’s necessary. For 80 years, presidents of both parties have acted with the same commander in chief authority under Article 2. You had President Biden used three times in Middle East operations. President Obama went on an eight-month campaign of bombing Libya to take down the regime there. I never heard a Democrat balk about any of that, and suddenly, now, they’re just up in arms. It’s all politics. This is not a time for politics," Johnson commented.

Bipartisan resolution

The war powers resolution was introduced last week by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. Such a measure would direct the U.S. president to "terminate the use" of the country's Armed Forces in Iran unless Congress authorizes their involvement. Massie went so far as to claim that the initiative would have 57 co-sponsors at this point, and assured that it would be brought to a vote.

"Whether you like it or not Congress will be voting on U.S. hostilities in Iran. Under the War Powers Act, the President is required to withdraw from hostilities in Iran within 60 days (+30 day ext.) unless he gets a vote of Congress," Massie wrote on his X account.