Trump’s Iran war powers survive Senate challenge in 53-47 vote
The Senate voted 53 to 47, largely along party lines, not to advance the resolution; All but one Republican voted against the procedural motion, and all but one Democrat supported it.
The war powers resolution, the latest effort by Democrats and a few Republicans to rein in President Donald Trump’s repeated deployments of foreign troops, was described by sponsors as a bid to take back Congress’ responsibility for declaring war, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution.
You can follow our live broadcast of the Iran-Israel war here.
Opponents rejected this, insisting that Trump’s action was legal and that as commander in chief he was within his right to protect the United States by ordering limited strikes. His supporters accused the decision of endangering US forces.
Republican Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in his speech against the decision, “This is not a war that will last forever, in fact, it is not even close. This will be over very quickly.”
The measure was not expected to be successful. Trump’s fellow Republicans hold slim majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and have blocked previous resolutions to restrict Trump’s war powers.
Supporters of the resolution said they would not give up, and even some Republicans who voted to block the resolution said they would press for public testimony from Trump aides about the administration’s Iran strategy, especially if the conflict drags on for weeks as Trump has predicted.
Debates about Trump’s buildup of military assets in the Middle East and American and Israeli attacks on Iran have centered on whether Trump is drawing the country into another “endless war” like the long conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Senators today face a choice: Stand with the American people tired of war in the Middle East, or side with Donald Trump as he drags America into another war that most Americans vehemently oppose,” said Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, a co-sponsor of the resolution.
The prolongation of the Iran war may worry voters because of the possibility of Democrats taking control of Congress in the midterm elections in November. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday showed that only one in four Americans approve of a U.S. attack on Iran, and about half believe Trump is too willing to use military force.
Besides the Iran campaign, U.S. forces have been firing on boats in the Southern Caribbean and Eastern Pacific since September in what the administration calls an effort to deter drug trafficking in Venezuela. In January, Trump also sent troops to Venezuela to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
‘THIS IS A WAR’
The US-Israeli war on Iran has already caused damage in Iran, Israel and the entire Middle East, and resulted in US casualties.
“This is a war,” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, one of the lead sponsors, said in a speech urging support for the resolution.
During a classified briefing for lawmakers on Tuesday, he said he had called on Trump officials to come to Congress for war authorization. “Your escalation of military actions without our approval convinces me that you believe there is no need to ever come to Congress and declare war on anyone, anywhere,” Kaine said.
The House is expected to vote on a similar Iran war powers resolution on Thursday.
On Tuesday, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana said he thought there were enough votes in the House to overturn the resolution, describing it as an attempt to push through something that could endanger U.S. troops and inspire Iranian forces.
“Imagine a scenario where Congress votes to tell the commander in chief that he is no longer allowed to complete this mission. That would be a very dangerous thing,” he told reporters after a classified briefing from senior administration officials on the Iran conflict.
Even if a resolution passes both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it won’t go into effect unless it gets a two-thirds majority in both chambers to bypass Trump’s expected veto.
