Rep. Tom Barrett (R-MI-07) introduced an AUMF Thursday that would cap U.S. military operations in Iran at 90 days — terminating authority on July 30 — and explicitly ban sustained ground combat, territorial seizure, and nation-building, per Jewish Insider. Barrett's office noted the administration claimed on May 1 that Iran operations had "concluded" to satisfy the War Powers Act's 60-day clock; Barrett says operations are "ongoing" and the clock has run.
Said Barrett: "I've lost too many friends on the battlefield to allow that to happen without Congress exercising its constitutional role to clearly define the mission with safeguards and a deadline."
The play here is straightforward: Barrett holds a Cook-rated toss-up seat and is building a paper trail before midterms while giving Senate Republicans cover to move a parallel AUMF. The House votes next week on a Democratic war-powers resolution to halt operations outright — Barrett's bill is the GOP alternative that sounds like oversight without killing the mission.