The Takshashila Podcast

In this episode of the All Things Policy podcast, Abhishek Kadiyala and Bhumika Sevkani examine why the US Congress has repeatedly failed to restrain President Trump’s military actions in Iran, despite multiple attempts to invoke its constitutional authority. The conversation centres on the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and how it was designed to limit unilateral presidential war-making. Tracing legislative efforts, including resolutions introduced by Tim Kaine, Thomas Massie and Ro Khanna, and most recently, Chris Murphy, the episode highlights a pattern of repeated failures largely along not party, but on ideological lines. It also situates these developments within broader Congressional tools such as AUMFs and the NDAA, while exploring how partisanship, electoral incentives ahead of midterms, and strategic calculations have shaped outcomes. The episode ultimately asks whether Congress is genuinely attempting to reclaim its war powers, or whether these efforts have become largely symbolic in an increasingly