Republicans block Sen. Tammy Duckworth's War Powers Resolution that would've stopped the Iran war
The Senate on Wednesday blocked another war powers resolution aimed at curbing President Trump's ability to continue the military strikes in Iran. Led by Illinois Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, the resolution would have directed President Donald Trump to "remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran" unless he got authorization from Congress. This was the fourth time that Republicans blocked such a measure, continuing to show support for Trump's increasingly erratic operation in the Middle East.
Duckworth, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and Iraq War veteran who lost both of her legs after an attack on her Black Hawk helicopter in 2004, forced the vote on the resolution alongside a group of other Democrats. "We cannot let this chaos continue unchecked," Duckworth told reporters on Tuesday. "As our troops continue to sacrifice whatever is asked of them, we senators need to do the absolute minimum required of us," she added. However, the motion to discharge the measure from committee failed in a 47 to 52 vote, with Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania crossing the aisle in the vote.
“It is completely and utterly outrageous that Senate Republicans are once again ceding their Constitutional authority to this warmongering, wanna-be dictator who is hellbent on throwing our servicemembers into needless danger and breaking every single promise he’s made to the American people,” Duckworth said in her statement after the vote. She added that Americans are "sick and tired" of watching Trump's "incompetence" that has driven up costs and plunged the country into another "forever war".
The vote on the resolution marked the first time the Senate weighed in on the war since the president threatened to "wipe out a civilization" while issuing a deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz last week. The threat drew widespread criticism from across the political spectrum, with prominent Democratic leaders calling upon the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office. Within hours of issuing the threat, Washington and Tehran announced a ceasefire agreement, which seemingly failed after peace talks fell apart. Trump then announced a complete U.S. blockade of the Strait, and the situation continues to grow volatile in the region, with rumours of fresh talks being on the cards, as per The Guardian.
While Republicans have shown support for Trump's military operations, a growing number of lawmakers have indicated that their support may wither if the war doesn't end before the 60-day mark. In an op-ed, GOP Sen. John Curtis from Utah expressed that he supports the president's actions as they were in defense of American lives and interests, but he would "not support the ongoing military action beyond a 60-day window without congressional approval." When asked about Congress authorizing the war as it approaches the 60- or 90-day mark, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said most of the GOP felt "pretty good" about the objectives achieved in Iran so far, and hopefully the administration will execute its plan before it becomes necessary for the GOP to answer the question, CBS News reported.
