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Republicans Call Off Vote on Iran War 05/22 06:13
Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that
would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran,
delaying planned votes on the matter into June.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to
dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from
the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.
The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by
Democrats, that would rein in Trump's military campaign. But as it became clear
that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders
declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support
in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without
congressional approval.
"We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they're
playing a political game," said Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, who sponsored
the bill.
Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to
dismiss another war powers resolution that advanced to a final vote earlier
this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others
were absent from the vote.
The actions by congressional leaders showed Republicans are struggling to
maintain political backing for Trump's handling of the war. Rank-and-file
Republicans are increasingly willing to defy the president over the conflict.
House Republican Leader Steve Scalise told reporters that the vote was
delayed to give lawmakers who were absent a chance to vote. House Speaker Mike
Johnson did not answer questions from reporters as he exited the House chamber.
Frustration with Iran war grows on Capitol Hill
On Capitol Hill, patience with the war has worn thin as the stalemate in the
Strait of Hormuz disrupts global shipping and elevates gas prices in the U.S.
Another House war powers resolution nearly passed last week, falling on a tie
vote as three Republicans voted in favor.
Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had
the votes "locked in" this time around.
"People are beginning to finally listen to the American people who don't
support the war in Iran, and I think there's a growing number of Republicans
who see how devastating the war has been for our country," said Democratic Rep.
Adam Smith of Washington state.
The lone Democrat who voted against the war powers resolution last week,
Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, has said he will vote in favor of the legislation
next time.
In a joint statement, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and other
caucus leaders said Republicans were "cowardly" to pull the vote.
"Even as we prepare to recognize our nation's fallen heroes on Memorial Day,
House Republicans refuse to show up and be accountable to the brave service
members that have been recklessly put in harm's way," they added.
Republicans have been broadly supportive of Trump's efforts to destroy
Iran's nuclear capabilities, but some are now saying the president's legal
timeline to wage a war without congressional approval has expired. Under the
War Powers Resolution of 1973, presidents have 60 days to engage in a military
conflict before Congress must either declare war or authorize the use of
military force.
"We're past 60 days so it's got to be brought to us to vote on. We're
following the law," said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican,
adding that he plans to vote for the war powers resolution.
The dispute over war powers
The White House argues that the requirements of the War Powers Resolution no
longer apply because of the ceasefire with Iran. At the same time, Trump has
said he was just an hour away from ordering another strike on Iran earlier this
week, but held off because Gulf allies said they were engaged in negotiations
to end the war.
Still, Trump said on social media that military leaders should "be prepared
to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment's notice,
in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached." Trump has repeatedly set
deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has so far voted against the war powers
resolutions, expressed frustration with the Trump administration's stance,
especially from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
"The current status quo, Pete Hegseth demonstrates how incompetent he is,"
Tillis told reporters, adding that he would be willing to vote for an
authorization for use of military force.
Earlier this week, Democratic senators rallied outside the Capitol Wednesday
alongside VoteVets, a left-leaning veterans' advocacy group. They placed signs
on the Capitol lawn noting that the nationwide average price of gasoline had
risen to $4.53.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who served in the Iraq War with
the Air National Guard, argued that the Iran war has amounted to a strategic
blunder for Trump.
"Trump started a war, and he's made things worse than before," Duckworth
said, pointing to Iran's new leadership and the country's willingness to put a
chokehold on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Republican leaders praised Trump for taking what they said was bold action
to directly confront Iran, a nation that has been a U.S. adversary for decades.
"I'm an American. I don't believe in getting hit and walking away and
pretending as though it didn't happen," said Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican
chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
For Congress, the growing momentum to pass a war powers resolution could
eventually lead to a legal showdown over who has the final authority over
military conflicts.
The legislation before the House is a concurrent resolution that lawmakers
said would take effect without Trump's signature if it passed both chambers of
Congress.
But Trump has also argued that the 1973 law -- passed by Congress during the
Vietnam War era in an attempt to take back its power over foreign conflicts --
is unconstitutional.
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