House Democrats Thursday passed a resolution to curb President Trump’s authority to use military force against Iran.
The measure is nonbinding and will not reach the president’s desk, but it sent a signal that Democrats lack confidence in Trump’s actions against Iran, specifically, his decision to kill Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike last week.
The measure calls on Trump “to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran,” unless authorized by Congress.
It passed mostly along party lines. Eight Democrats voted against it, while three Republicans and independent Justin Amash of Michigan, voted for the resolution. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, is preparing a similar measure that could go to the Senate next week. Kaine’s measure would require Trump to terminate military actions against Iran within 30 days unless he obtains new authority from Congress.
Democrats have been critical of the Soleimani killing, which was followed by retaliatory missile strikes against U.S. military bases in Iraq this week. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other top Trump administration officials who provided lawmakers a classified briefing Wednesday failed to convince Democrats the strike against Soleimani was justified.
“Last week, the Trump Administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military air strike targeting high-level Iranian military officials and he did so without consulting with Congress,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said before the vote. Pelosi and Democrats said the Soleimani strike has endangered U.S. military personnel and diplomats and has escalated tensions in the Middle East.
Liberal Democrats have for years been clamoring for a measure to give Congress more of a say over military action overseas.
Trump’s action and strikes conducted by President Barack Obama used authorization passed by Congress in 2001 and 2002. Their dislike of Trump, whom they impeached in December, has increased those calls, even though Obama also ordered strikes in the Middle East without first getting permission from Congress.
“It’s time to reassert our authority,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat who co-chairs the House Progressive Caucus.
Republicans said the president had the authority to conduct the strikes in Iran because he was defending U.S. interests. They questioned why Democrats were seeking to limit the president after he took out Soleimani, a terrorist who is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. service members stationed in the Middle East.
“I do not disagree that the president needs to come to Congress to authorize war with Iran,” Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, who is the top Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “But that is not what we are looking at here today. We do not currently have troops engaged in hostility in Iran who would be subject to withdrawal under the resolution. The premise of this resolution is flawed.”
McCaul pointed out the measure is nonbinding. “This is a press release, a political statement for a left-wing audience,” he said.
Pelosi said the measure was not intended to reach the president because Democrats do not want to give him a chance to veto it.
A small group of Republicans, including Trump ally Matt Gaetz of Florida, backed the bill. Gaetz said he opposed U.S. involvement in a new war in the Middle East.
“I take a back seat to nobody when it comes to defending the president,” said Gaetz. “If the members of our armed services have the courage to go and fight and die in these wars, as Congress, we ought to have the courage to vote for or against them.”
