U.S. Congress Oversight

Republicans largely avoided pursuing a formal war‑authorization vote even as President Trump told the New York Post he “doesn’t have the yips” about putting boots on the ground in Iran and the administration is reportedly weighing sending U.S. special operations forces to secure highly enriched uranium. After a classified briefing Sen. Richard Blumenthal warned the U.S. seems “on a path” to deploying ground troops and raised concerns about costs, troop danger and escalation, while many GOP leaders argued briefings and other actions suffice absent a formal declaration of war, though a smaller group of Republicans now says Congress should be asked to authorize further escalation.