washington – The House is expected to vote Thursday on a measure to prevent President Trump from taking military action against Iran without the support of Congress, a day after a similar effort. failed in the Senate.
The military power vote comes amid concerns that the US could become involved in another protracted war in the Middle East, and A CBS News poll shows it the majority of Americans do not approve of US military action against Iran. And what’s more, two-thirds say managers should get it authorization from Congress for the war to continue. Barring any last-minute surprises, however, the resolution is expected to meet the same fate in the House as it did in the Senate.
GOP Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who has been one of the few Republican critics of Trump’s attacks against Venezuela and Iran, launched a resolution days before the US bombed three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last June. He withdrew from forcing a vote last year after an agreement was reached to end the violence.
The resolution directs the president “to remove the United States Armed Forces from the unauthorized hostilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said the vote “plays into the hands of the enemy.” At a press conference on Wednesday, Johnson said the Iran operation was “necessary, legitimate and effective, and pulling it back now will weaken America.”
“Congress has a constitutional right to exercise its oversight authority, and we will, but we also have a duty and responsibility not to undermine our national security,” he said.
Massie thought his colleagues did not want a recorded vote on the issue because the US has a “bad record of meddling in the Middle East.”
“They don’t want their name associated with this if it doesn’t go well,” said Massie during the debate. “But Congress can’t bother with its constitutional work because for many in this party, it’s easy to just allow someone else’s sons and daughters to be sent to fight without their vote. And to be clear, we’re not even here to declare war today.”
The Constitution only gives Congress the power to declare war. But presidents have waged campaigns to avoid congressional approval in recent years. And Republicans in Congress have so far shown little interest in changing their powers to limit the president’s authority to carry out strikes, although some have indicated that could change if the conflict lasts more than a few weeks, or if Mr. Trump sending US ground troops to Iran.
The vote is likely to be contested along party lines.
At least one Republican said he would break up with Mr. Trump and several Democrats indicated they would vote against the resolution.
Republican Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio announced his support for the resolution Wednesday on the House floor, saying “the moral hazard created by a government no longer bound by our Constitution is a serious threat.”
“Unfortunately, Republicans now want to say they can’t answer: What is war?” Davidson said.
GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, who supported the latest energy resolution for the Venezuela war, said he plans to stick with Mr. Trump in this vote. But Bacon noted that military operations could take weeks or more and that members “can always update our ideas” as time goes on.
Rep. Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, said she is open to changing her mind down the road if the war lasts longer than estimated or if there are fewer troops.
“If this thing goes on for a few weeks, I’m going to have a lot of anxiety,” he said. “If the ground forces are involved, I think that’s a very different conversation.”
Democrats, however, say the Trump administration has not provided enough answers about the rationale for attacking Iran or the imminence of the threat.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, predicted that “there will be strong Democratic support for the war power resolution across the ideological spectrum.”
But several Democrats have indicated they may split from their party. In a statement last month, Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey said he opposes the decision because it “would limit the flexibility needed to respond to real and evolving threats and dangers, showing weakness at a dangerous time.”
Gotteimer and a handful of other Democrats supported a separate resolution directing the president to withdraw US troops from the war with Iran within 30 days of the February 28 attack without congressional approval.
Lawmakers intend to block further military action without authorization under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was passed by Congress in response to the Vietnam War as a check on the president’s power to go to war without authorization from the legislative branch. It requires the president to consult with Congress in “all circumstances” before launching any troops. It also requires the president to report to Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops if lawmakers have not approved a declaration of war, while imposing any unauthorized engagement within 60 days.
Jeffries emphasized the authority of lawmakers. He said Wednesday there was “nothing confusing” about Congress’s constitutional authority to declare war.
“The president’s war – it is unwise, unpopular, unauthorized, illegal and unconstitutional. And in the United States, we serve the rule of law, not the rule of man,” said Jeffries during the debate. “Our Constitution requires the president to get approval from Congress before launching a war. That has not happened yet.”
Johnson argued that the US is “not at war,” and that the offensive is a military operation “limited in scope.” He also warned of the “great harm” that the decision could cause, saying that “it will endanger the lives of our soldiers and all those who participated in making this great sacrifice to protect us.”
“I believe we have the votes to put this down, and I’m praying it comes true,” Johnson said.
