Congress Blinked over Israel and AIPAC edging America to Another Endless War
A decisive moment to restrain executive overreach slipped away, exposing the power of lobbying money and the silence of lawmakers as war in Iran continues.
Congress had a rare chance to uphold its constitutional duty and halt an unauthorised march toward military escalation, says Hussam Ayloush, the CEO of CAIR California, a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organisation.
Instead, Ayloush says, lawmakers failed to pass the War Powers Resolution introduced by Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna — a measure designed to reassert Congress’s authority over decisions of war and peace.
“This vote was more than a procedural setback. It laid bare the outsized influence of the Israeli lobbying group AIPAC and its deep financial reach, as well as a troubling reluctance among some elected officials to challenge powerful lobbying interests or confront the steady expansion of executive power,” he adds.
That failure was underscored by a House vote earlier this month on a War Powers Resolution introduced by Representatives Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, which sought to require President Donald Trump to obtain congressional authorisation for continued U.S. military action against Iran.
The measure was defeated 219–212, effectively clearing the way for Trump to continue the war without explicit congressional approval.
The vote largely broke along party lines: only two Republicans — Massie and Representative Warren Davidson — supported the resolution, while four Democrats, including Representatives Henry Cuellar, Jared Golden, Greg Landsman and Juan Vargas, voted against it.
For critics such as Ayloush, the outcome marked a squandered opportunity for Congress to uphold its constitutional role, revealing what he describes as the outsized influence of powerful lobbying groups such as AIPAC and a persistent unwillingness among lawmakers to check the expansion of executive war‑making authority.
For members of Congress who claim to oppose endless wars, Ayloush reckons this moment demands more than rhetoric.
“They must pursue every available avenue to reclaim their constitutional role and prevent further escalation. The stakes — for American lives, global stability, and democratic accountability — are simply too high for silence or political calculation.”
The American people do not want another war. It is time for their government to reflect their will, not the agenda of a foreign leader determined to cling to power and evade responsibility.