House Rebukes Trump In Vote To Restrict His Iran War Powers
The Republican-controlled U.S. House voted to halt President Donald Trump’s military action in Iran without congressional approval, the latest rebuke by lawmakers of the president’s handling of the conflict.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal introduced the measure, which Democrats and four Republicans supported.
The vote was 214-208.
GOP Reps. Thomas Massie, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett, and Warren Davidson voted for the resolution, breaking with their party.
But even if the Senate passed it, it would not compel the administration to end the war. Concurrent resolutions, which are not presented to the president for signature or veto, do not have the force of law.
The Senate voted on its own measure to advance a measure to limit Trump’s war powers in Iran Thursday evening, but the vote failed. The vote was 49 to 47.
Democrats tried to limit the president’s war powers, with Republican Sen. Susan Collins among those Democrats, but Democratic Sen. John Fetterman joined the rest of the Republican conference to vote down the measure.
The votes came as the renewed conflict flared up after a recent ceasefire expired.
This marks the second time the House has voted to curb the president’s war powers, but the first since the US-Iran memorandum of understanding has broken down.
In the House and the Senate, Democrats have tried repeatedly to rein in Trump’s war powers, but the push has been picking up more support from GOP members, a sign of growing unease within the party about the ongoing fight.
Four American service members killed during the Iran war came home Wednesday, their bodies in flag-draped coffins.
Some Democrats backing the war powers efforts have argued that the concurrent resolutions are still legally binding and that the courts have yet to rule on their legal effect when dealing with war powers measures.
The war with Iran has intensified recently.
President Trump gave Iran multiple opportunities to avoid the current conflict with the United States months before it began.
After the war started, the administration continued to reach out to the surviving regime in Tehran, offering one olive branch after another.
But even after agreeing to a 60-day ceasefire in late June, the Iranians continued to attack commercial tankers and shipping, which then led to a new wave of strikes by the U.S., which is now in its ninth day.
That said, Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted on Sunday that the United States remains open to diplomacy with Iran.
Rubio said Sunday night that Iran had effectively ended a memorandum of understanding intended to keep the Strait of Hormuz open after Tehran attacked multiple commercial vessels, while emphasizing that the United States remains willing to pursue a diplomatic resolution.
Speaking with reporters at Joint Base Andrews before departing for the Philippines for the ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting, Rubio said Iran had been expected to reaffirm its commitment to keeping the strategic waterway open to commercial shipping and to cease attacks on vessels.
Instead, he said, Iran attacked three commercial ships late last week.
“I think we’re always open to diplomacy,” Rubio said.
“It has to be real. It has to be a deal that they’re willing to live by,” he said.
When asked if the memorandum of understanding was truly dead, Rubio stated that Iran had already answered that question through its actions.
“They’re not complying with it,” Rubio said.
“The straits are supposed to be open, free of tolls, free of attack, free of all the things they’re doing against these ships,” he continued, per Fox News.
“They can’t have an MOU that’s alive if they’re violating the terms of it.”
Nevertheless, Rubio said the U.S. is still willing to sit down and discuss peace terms with the Iranians, but their behavior will have to change first.
