The US House of Representatives on Thursday rejected an effort to stop US President Donald Trump’s war on Iran and require that any hostilities against Iran be authorized by the US Congress, backing Trump’s military campaign on the sixth day of the expanding conflict.
The vote was 219 to 212, largely along party lines. Two Republicans voted in favor of the resolution and four Democrats voted against it.
Opponents said Democrats were taking the issue to a vote only because they oppose Trump, putting Americans at increased risk.
Photo: Reuters
“We all know that we wouldn’t be here today if the president’s name wasn’t Donald Trump,” US Representative Rick Crawford said.
Sponsors of the resolution described it as a bid to take back the Congress’ responsibility to authorize war, as spelled out in the US constitution.
Supporters said the resolution, which would require Trump to come to the Congress for a war authorization, would force him to explain to Americans why the US is fighting and how it might end.
“This is a war of choice, launched by this administration without authorization, without clearly stated objectives or a defined endgame, and without explaining how they intend to keep Americans safe,” US Representative Gregory Meeks said.
Just before the resolution vote, House members from both parties overwhelmingly passed a measure “reaffirming Iran remains the largest state sponsor of terrorism.”
The vote would not have stopped the conflict even if the House had voted yes.
To go into effect, the resolution would also have had to pass the US Senate and garner the two-thirds majorities needed to override Trump’s expected veto.
The Senate backed Trump’s military campaign against Iran in a vote on Wednesday, voting to block a bipartisan resolution similar to the measure passed by the House.
The votes this week are not the end of the matter. The War Powers Resolution of 1973, which provides for votes on the resolutions, says a president can only involve the military in an armed conflict when Congress has declared war or provided specific authority, or in response to an attack.
Trump and the Republicans said that Iran posed an “imminent threat,” so his actions were legal under that law.
However, the War Powers measure also requires unauthorized military actions to be terminated within 60 days, giving the Trump administration a deadline at the end of next month to seek the Congress’ approval.
MONEY GRAB: People were rushing to collect bills scattered on the ground after the plane transporting money crashed, which an official said hindered rescue efforts A cargo plane carrying money on Friday crashed near Bolivia’s capital, damaging about a dozen vehicles on highway, scattering bills on the ground and leaving at least 15 people dead and others injured, an official said. Bolivian Minister of Defense Marcelo Salinas said the Hercules C-130 plane was transporting newly printed Bolivian currency when it “landed and veered off the runway” at an airport in El Alto, a city adjacent to La Paz, before ending up in a nearby field. Firefighters managed to put out the flames that engulfed the aircraft. Fire chief Pavel Tovar said at least 15 people died, but
LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER: By showing Ju-ae’s ability to handle a weapon, the photos ‘suggest she is indeed receiving training as a successor,’ an academic said North Korea on Saturday released a rare image of leader Kim Jong-un’s teenage daughter firing a rifle at a shooting range, adding to speculation that she is being groomed as his successor. Kim’s daughter, Ju-ae, has long been seen as the next in line to rule the secretive, nuclear-armed state, and took part in a string of recent high-profile outings, including last week’s military parade marking the closing stages of North Korea’s key party congress. Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released a photo of Ju-ae shooting a rifle at an outdoor shooting range, peering through a rifle scope
India and Canada yesterday reached a string of agreements, including on critical mineral cooperation and a “landmark” uranium supply deal for nuclear power, the countries’ leaders said in New Delhi. The pacts, which also covered technology and promoting the use of renewable energy, were announced after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney hailed a fresh start in the relationship between their nations. “Our ties have seen a new energy, mutual trust and positivity,” Modi said. Carney’s visit is a key step forward in ties that effectively collapsed in 2023 after Ottawa accused New Delhi
Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples might become tight, officials said, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran. The Israeli military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing airstrikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US. Israeli authorities late on Monday night said that they would reopen the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel to Gaza yesterday, for “gradual entry of humanitarian aid” into the strip, without saying how much. Israeli authorities previously said the crossings could not be operated safely during
RSS