No. The federal AI Data Centre Moratorium Act was introduced by Sanders and AOC on 25 March 2026 but was killed by the Democratic caucus — Fetterman called it 'China First' and Warner called it 'idiocy'. It has no PATH through the Republican-controlled Congress.Source: Lowdown

Has Congress authorised the Iran war?

No. Trump launched Iran strikes without Congressional authorisation. Both chambers drafted war powers resolutions; the House version failed 213-214 on 16 April 2026. Senate Republicans blocked every vote. No supplemental funding bill has been submitted.Source: Lowdown

What is the War Powers Resolution and does it apply to Iran?

The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing forces and limits operations to 60 days without authorisation. The clock tied to Iran hostilities from 28 February 2026 expired around 1 May; Congress was not authorised.Source: Lowdown

Background

US Congress is the United States' bicameral federal legislature, established by Article I of the Constitution in 1789. It comprises the House of Representatives (435 members, two-year terms) and the Senate (100 members, six-year terms). Congress holds the sole constitutional authority to declare war, authorise federal spending, and pass federal law. Republicans hold a majority in both chambers following the 2024 elections.

Congress has been the central constitutional battleground of 2026 across multiple fronts. On Iran, Trump launched strikes without congressional authorisation; both chambers drafted war powers resolutions but Senate Republicans blocked every floor vote, and the House War Powers Resolution failed 213 to 214 on 16 April. The Pentagon has sought up to $200 billion in a supplemental that the White House has not requested, leaving Congress in a funding limbo over an active war it did not authorise. On Russia and Ukraine, a sanctioned Russian State Duma delegation visited Congress on 26 March at the invitation of Rep Anna Paulina Luna, provoking bipartisan condemnation. On Artemis and NASA, more than 100 members signed a letter demanding $9 billion for the Science Mission Directorate in FY2027 against the White House's proposed $3.9 billion cut, placing Congress in direct opposition to the administration on space science.

On AI and data infrastructure, progressive members introduced the AI Data Centre Moratorium Act; it was killed by the Democratic caucus itself while 12 state legislatures advanced similar bills and Maine passed the first statewide ban. On drones, Congress has scrutinised sole-source procurement awards and raised conflict-of-interest questions over the Trump family's drone investments. On Cuba, the Senate killed a war-powers check 51 to 47 on 29 April, closing off the legislative PATH for opposition groups pursuing EU-level reparations mechanisms instead. On biosecurity, the Biosecurity Modernisation and Innovation Act (S.3741), which would require mandatory DNA-synthesis screening, was introduced in January 2026 and remains pending with no country anywhere yet mandating such screening. The defining tension across all eight fronts is constitutional: Congress holds the war-making purse and legislative authority yet has been systematically bypassed on the most consequential decisions of the year.