# Expert Available: Trump’s Notification to Congress on Renewed Iran Military Action 

While the War Powers Resolution itself is an ineffective tool in reining in presidential power, Congress holds a stronger hand on matters of defense and foreign policy than the national conversation in Washington would suggest.

July 14, 2026 • News Releases 

President Donald Trump on Monday notified Congress that the U.S. military action in Iran has resumed.

> “President Donald Trump’s notification to Congress that “military action” has resumed against Iran is a strange choice for an administration that openly declared the War Powers Resolution, and attempts by Congress to limit the President’s ability to act unilaterally, unconstitutional just a few months ago. It suggests a degree of overconfidence on the part of the administration that Congress possesses no leverage or ability to check the President’s decisions on the war with Iran.
> 
> While the War Powers Resolution itself is an ineffective tool in reining in presidential power, Congress holds a stronger hand on matters of defense and foreign policy than the national conversation in Washington would suggest. Namely, Congress’s power over the purse. President Trump’s notification on resumption of the war is poised to invite stronger browbeating from Congress on strategy and risk to U.S. forces, costs, critical munitions expenditures, and most importantly, an endgame. In the midst of incredibly tenuous and down-to-the-wire conversations on the administration’s $1.5 trillion defense budget and its Iran war supplemental funding measure, Congress holds more than just a 60-day clock at its disposal to challenge and block walking the U.S. into another endless war. Will Congress choose to deploy its leverage, however, remains to be seen.”

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Recent Media Appearances:

- [Katherine Thompson discusses the fragile truce between the US and Iran on FNC’s *Fox News Live*](https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/katherine-thompson-discusses-fragile-truce-between-us-iran-fncs-fox)
- [Katherine Thompson discusses the 36th NATO Summit on BBC News’ *Politics Live*](https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/katherine-thompson-discusses-36th-nato-summit-bbc-news-politics-live)
- [Katherine Thompson discusses the latest negotiation hurdles between the US and Iran on NewsNation’s *Morning in America*](https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/katherine-thompson-discusses-latest-negotiation-hurdles-between-us)
- [Katherine Thompson discusses the Trump administration’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran on Bloomberg Radio’s *Bloomberg Surveillance*](http://cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/katherine-thompson-discusses-trump-administrations-memorandum-1)
- [Katherine Thompson discusses President Trump’s threats to seize Kharg Island on The Daily Wire’s *Wired In Live*](https://www.cato.org/multimedia/media-highlights-tv/katherine-thompson-discusses-president-trumps-threats-seize-kharg)

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