The US House of Representatives is due to vote on a bipartisan resolution that would require President Donald Trump to obtain congressional authorisation before continuing military operations against Tehran. The measure is led by Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna. It represents a legislative attempt to reassert Congress's constitutional role in declaring war, a power that has been a point of contention between the executive and legislative branches for decades.
This congressional effort is widely expected to fail, coming just one day after the Senate rejected a similar attempt to curb the President's war powers. The anticipated rejection in the House underscores the significant political support for the administration's current military posture. It signals that, for now, a majority in Congress is unwilling to place formal restrictions on the Commander-in-Chief's authority to conduct operations against Iran.
The vote occurs less than a week after the United States and Israel began a sweeping military campaign against Iran, targeting missile facilities, naval assets, and other critical infrastructure. This coordinated offensive marks a significant escalation in long-standing tensions between the US and the Islamic Republic. The campaign's broad scope indicates a strategic aim to degrade Iran's military capabilities rather than a limited retaliatory strike.
The conflict has already extracted a human cost for American forces. Six US servicemembers have been killed in retaliatory strikes by Iran, including in an attack on a US base in Kuwait. These casualties bring the reality of the escalating conflict into sharp focus, highlighting the risks to military personnel deployed in the region. The deaths are likely to intensify domestic debate about the scope and objectives of the ongoing campaign.
In a recent interview with Axios, President Trump commented on the leadership vacuum in Iran following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the strikes. Trump dismissed Khamenei's son as a 'lightweight' and stated, 'I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,' suggesting an unprecedented level of intended US involvement in Iran's internal succession. He further argued to the news outlet that without a favourable leader in Iran, the United States would likely return to war with the country within five years.
In unrelated US domestic news, President Trump on Thursday fired Kristi Noem as the head of the Department of Homeland Security. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump announced that Markwayne Mullen, a 48-year-old Republican senator from Oklahoma, would take over the powerful department on March 31. This high-profile cabinet change signals ongoing shifts in the administration's homeland security leadership and priorities.
Separately, in Nigeria, the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee queried the alleged abandonment of a National Library project in Jalingo, Taraba State. The contract for the construction of the national library state branch was initially awarded on March 1, 2018, to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited for ₦238 million, with a completion deadline of March 2019. The contract sum was later reviewed upward to ₦365 million in March 2023 following a variation approved through the Federal Ministry of Education.
Despite the increased funding, the project's status remains a concern. Official records show that a total of ₦292.267 million has been paid to the contractor, while the project currently stands at only about 85 per cent completion. This discrepancy between funds disbursed and physical progress on the ground prompted the committee's scrutiny, reflecting broader issues of contract management and project delivery in Nigeria's public sector.
In international news from Asia, Nepal voted on Thursday for a new parliament in a high-stakes showdown between an entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement. The election follows six months after deadly anti-corruption protests toppled the previous government. Chief Election Commissioner Ram Prasad Bhandari told reporters, 'The voting process has been concluded peacefully and enthusiastically,' noting that initial estimates placed voter turnout at around 60 per cent.
