US news website Axios reported late Monday (August 17, local time) that congressional Democrats are planning new measures to rein in President Donald Trump’s war‑making powers. This follows Trump’s threat on Monday that the United States would “bomb them to smithereens” should Oman stand in the way of related operations.

(Screenshot source: Axios)

Why it matters:

Though largely symbolic, the War Powers Resolution has become a key tool for Democrats in recent years to check what they view as an impulsive and trigger‑happy Trump administration.

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told Axios: “At this point, we might need to file War Powers Resolutions for another 192 countries across the globe.”

Latest developments:

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia issued a statement Monday afternoon saying he would introduce a War Powers Resolution targeting Oman once the Senate returns next month.

Kaine noted that the United States maintains “strong diplomatic ties and a free‑trade agreement” with Oman. He argued Trump’s threats would only benefit genuine adversaries such as Russia.

The Virginia senator said he hoped “to find some Republican colleagues to work with Democrats to rein in this reckless, out‑of‑control, power‑obsessed president before he inflicts further harm on America and the world.”

White House response:

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated in a statement sent to Axios: “Political figures across the United States and the world have for decades spoken about the dangers posed by a nuclear‑armed Iran. Yet only President Trump has had the courage to confront this national‑security threat head‑on.”

She added: “The Administration has maintained full transparency with Congress throughout this conflict and during negotiations. Senior officials have delivered more than 30 bipartisan briefings on Capitol Hill since late February.”

“The Iranian regime — which has chanted ‘Death to America’ and threatened US forces overseas for 47 years — must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.”

Background snapshot:

Trump issued the military threat against Oman during an interview with Fox News.

Oman is an important US partner in the Gulf region and has been involved in diplomatic mediation efforts to end the US‑Iran war.

During the phone interview, Trump said: “If Oman gets in the way of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, we will bomb them to smithereens.”

Later on Monday, when pressed by reporters whether he had lost patience with Oman, Trump responded: “I don’t think they have behaved very well, but we can handle them very eASIly, just like everything else.”

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