Congress Grapples With Iran War Powers, DHS Funding, and Expulsion Votes

2026-04-13

The BareStory

U.S. lawmakers returning to Washington this week are preparing to address a legislative agenda that includes military authority in Iran, funding for a closed federal department, and the potential expulsion of two sitting representatives.

Democratic leaders stated they intend to force a vote to limit President Donald Trump's military authority in the ongoing conflict with Iran, with a floor vote tentatively planned for Thursday. The legislative push follows a two-week ceasefire, unsuccessful peace negotiations, and a Sunday announcement by the president that the U.S. Navy will blockade the Strait of Hormuz. The administration is anticipated to request between $80 billion and $100 billion in supplemental war funding.

The House schedule may shift depending on efforts to expel two members of Congress over separate controversies. On Monday, the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into Democratic Representative Eric Swalwell regarding allegations of sexual assault and misconduct involving an employee. Swalwell, who has denied the accusations, suspended his California gubernatorial campaign on Sunday. Republican Representative Anna Paulina Luna has announced plans to force an expulsion vote against him.

In response, Democrats are expected to force an expulsion vote against Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, who ended his reelection campaign after acknowledging an affair with a staffer who subsequently died by suicide.

Concurrently, Republican congressional leaders announced an agreement to restore funding to the Department of Homeland Security, which has been shut down since February 14. The plan aims to reopen the department while advancing additional immigration enforcement funding through the budget reconciliation process, though it faces opposition from some House Republicans.

Left Perspective

Curbing Unilateral Executive Force
Enforcing Moral Accountability Standards
Resisting Coercive Enforcement Funding

Right Perspective

Preserving Strategic Executive Deterrence
Protecting Civic Institutional Integrity
Securing Sovereignty Via Procedural Realism

Left Perspective

• Curbing Unilateral Executive Force The push to limit the president's military authority is rooted in a commitment to constitutional checks and the humanitarian cost of conflict. Lawmakers view the sudden Strait of Hormuz blockade and the looming $80–$100 billion funding request as a dangerous unilateral escalation following a broken ceasefire. The underlying priority is preventing a drift into an endless, unchecked war by forcing the executive branch to justify its strategic gambits to the public's representatives.

• Enforcing Moral Accountability Standards Protecting vulnerable subordinates from institutional power abuses drives the approach to the dual expulsion battles. The move against Representative Gonzales is framed as an ethical imperative given the fatal consequences of his admitted staffer affair, demanding ultimate accountability. Simultaneously, forcing a floor vote against Representative Swalwell before the newly announced Ethics Committee investigation concludes is perceived as weaponizing the accountability process to score immediate political points rather than seeking objective justice.

• Resisting Coercive Enforcement Funding Separating standard government operations from hardline policy maneuvers remains a core administrative priority. Republican efforts to reopen the Department of Homeland Security—shuttered since February 14—by attaching immigration enforcement funding through budget reconciliation is interpreted as a bad-faith procedural shortcut. The goal is to restore vital federal services without allowing the institutional budget apparatus to be held hostage to enact punitive immigration paradigms.

Right Perspective

• Preserving Strategic Executive Deterrence Maintaining robust national security requires the commander-in-chief to possess unhindered tactical flexibility during geopolitical crises. The Strait of Hormuz blockade and the required $80–$100 billion supplemental funding are viewed as essential realism after a two-week ceasefire and peace negotiations failed. The priority is projecting absolute strength to hostile actors, interpreting legislative attempts to curb war powers as dangerous micromanagement that telegraphs weakness and undermines strategic deterrence.

• Protecting Civic Institutional Integrity Upholding the rule of law and the moral credibility of national institutions necessitates swift action against severe misconduct. The effort to expel Representative Swalwell is driven by the belief that severe allegations of sexual assault against an employee demand immediate removal to preserve the chamber's dignity. Conversely, the reciprocal effort to expel Representative Gonzales—who already conceded political defeat by ending his reelection campaign—is viewed as an unnecessary partisan escalation rather than a genuine pursuit of institutional order.

• Securing Sovereignty Via Procedural Realism Establishing firm national borders and ensuring domestic stability are non-negotiable functions of a sovereign state. Utilizing the budget reconciliation process to fund immigration enforcement while reopening the Department of Homeland Security represents a pragmatic bypass of prolonged legislative gridlock. The underlying objective is to rapidly restore the functioning of a vital security apparatus that has been closed since February 14, prioritizing the rule of law over procedural traditionalism.

How it may affect me

As a U.S. reader:

• The administration's request for 80 billion to 100 billion dollars in supplemental war funding will directly impact federal budget allocations and long-term taxpayer obligations.

• The naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the impending congressional vote on war powers will dictate the immediate scale of overseas military deployments and the future limits of the current conflict.

• The proposed agreement to reopen the Department of Homeland Security will bring short-term relief to the public by restoring federal security and administrative services that have been suspended since February 14.

• Advancing immigration enforcement funding through the budget reconciliation process to reopen the closed department could result in long-term, practical shifts in border security operations.

• The pending expulsion votes against two sitting representatives could temporarily leave their respective constituents without House representation and cause short-term delays in the broader legislative schedule.

Congress Grapples With Iran War Powers, DHS Funding, and Expulsion Votes

The BareStory

Left Perspective

Right Perspective

How it may affect me

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