Sen. Kaine calls for more oversight, pushes for Senate action as Iran war continues

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is calling for increased oversight as the war in Iran continues, raising concerns about Congress’s role in approving U.S. involvement.

Kaine said Congress has not formally authorized the conflict, despite it continuing for weeks. He is now leading an effort to require repeated votes in the Senate aimed at limiting the administration’s actions and increasing accountability.

The senator also pointed to the impact the conflict is already having, both overseas and at home — including rising costs and additional troop deployments.

“Service members have lost their lives. Others are being injured. Virginians have been deployed in mass numbers to the Middle East,” Kaine said. “We have not had a single public hearing in either the Armed Services Committee or the Foreign Relations Committee about the war a month and a half in. That’s unprecedented.”

Kaine said he plans to continue pushing for votes in the Senate until Congress takes a more active role in decisions surrounding the war.

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