Washington — Lawmakers are returning to Washington this week from a two-week break to face major developments in the war with Iran, a lingering Department of Homeland Security shutdown and possible expulsion votes for some of their own members.
Congress has been away from Washington since well before President Trump threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight” if Iran didn’t agree to a deal to end the war, followed by a two-week ceasefire. Vice President JD Vance left Islamabad after marathon talks over the weekend failed to yield an agreement. And Mr. Trump announced on Sunday that the U.S. Navy will impose a blockade preventing ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Now, support for the war is expected to come center stage on Capitol Hill. And Democrats are vowing to force votes aimed at limiting the president’s ability to carry out further military action in Iran.
Lawmakers mull support for Iran war
Lawmakers will face new questions about their support for the war — and how far it extends.
While Democrats have continued to rail against the president, a growing number of Republicans have indicated that their support could run out if the war doesn’t end before the 60-day mark — the cap on any unauthorized engagements under the 1973 War Powers Resolution.
Support for the war could be put to the test with a supplemental funding request from the White House. The Washington Post reported last week that the administration is expected to request between $80 billion and $100 billion in supplemental funding, scaling back the $200 billion the Pentagon had appeared to initially seek last month.
Democratic leaders are vowing to force votes to curb the president’s war powers, stressing that a two-week ceasefire is not sufficient.
“We need a permanent end to Donald Trump’s costly and reckless war of choice, and House Democrats are committed to bringing about that outcome,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said last Thursday.
The minority leader said Democrats are “in active conversations with Republicans to secure an additional handful of our Republican colleagues,” stressing that only a few votes are needed to stop “this reckless war of choice.”
The House has previously rejected an attempt to limit the president’s Iran war powers. Last month, the chamber voted 212 to 219 on the measure, with four Democrats joining all but two Republicans to kill it.
The Senate has also defeated multiple war powers resolutions regarding Iran. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced last week that the Senate would force another vote, arguing that the fragile two-week ceasefire “is not a strategy, it’s not a diplomatic solution, it’s not a plan.”
“Congress must reassert its authority, especially at this dangerous moment,” Schumer said. “No president, Democrat or Republican, should take this country to war alone. Not now, not ever.”
The DHS shutdown drags on
The House and Senate left town late last month after failing to agree on a plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down since Feb. 14. In the meantime, President Trump has directed all DHS employees to be paid with alternate funding sources.
The latest stalemate in Congress came after the Senate unanimously approved funding for DHS while leaving out funds for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and some of Customs and Border Protection, which Democrats have opposed. Rather than approving the funding, House Republicans moved forward with an alternate measure to fund the entirety of DHS on a temporary basis.
Though House Speaker Mike Johnson had initially rejected the Senate plan, which he called a “joke,” he and Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced an agreement days later to fund the department under the initial Senate plan, while pursuing additional funding for immigration enforcement through the budget reconciliation process. A day later, the Senate took the first step toward funding the department, teeing up House consideration.
The focus is back on the House, where Johnson is also under deadline pressure this week to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702, a key national security surveillance law. But the funding plan is still facing pushback, with some House Republicans threatening to oppose it until the reconciliation process is complete, while the conservative House Freedom Caucus has demanded that all of DHS be funded through the reconciliation process.
A new reconciliation push
Senate Republicans are aiming to quickly move forward with ICE and CBP funding through reconciliation, which allows them to advance a bill without support from Senate Democrats.
Thune told reporters last week that the Senate will “hop on it right away,” facing a June 1 deadline to get the funding through both chambers. To do so, Republicans intend to keep the bill narrowly focused on the funding, rather than attaching other priorities.
After meeting with GOP Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina late last week, Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the process is “ON TRACK, and we are moving FAST and FOCUSED.”
Republicans haven’t ruled out another reconciliation package in the near future to address other priorities. But whether lawmakers would be able to move the packages remains to be seen.
Under the budget reconciliation process, lawmakers must first adopt identical budget resolutions in both the Senate and the House. Committees then draft legislation reconciling spending with the new budget goals, before incorporating the recommendations into a legislative package. Republicans used the process last year to pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a massive tax package that served as the centerpiece legislation of Mr. Trump’s first-year agenda.
Lawmakers push for accountability amid member scandals
Congress is also facing a week that could be marked by personal scandals. In the wake of sexual assault allegations against Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, some lawmakers are making a push for accountability for multiple members.
GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida announced that she intends to force a vote to expel Swalwell over the allegations. And Democrats are expected to counter the move with a vote to expel embattled Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas. Gonzales admitted last month to having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. He dropped his reelection bid but has not resigned from Congress.
Swalwell has denied the multiple sexual misconduct allegations, including from a former staffer who alleged he sexually assaulted her. Amid intense pressure to drop out of the race, including from House Democratic leaders, Swalwell suspended his bid for California governor late Sunday.
Investigations by the House Ethics Committee typically precede floor action to reprimand or expel members. But an investigation isn’t required.
Lawmakers are considering additional expulsion votes targeting other members, including GOP Rep. Cory Mills and Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, both of Florida. The expulsion votes would require support from two thirds of the chamber, making it a high bar. Just six lawmakers have ever been expelled in the House’s history, with the latest being George Santos in 2023. But lawmakers could pursue other avenues for accountability as well, like censure.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/congress-returns-iran-war-dhs-shutdown/
