Ted Lieu calls for end to 'unconstitutional' Iran war as House blocks resolution by one vote

Democratic U.S. Congressman Ted Lieu has called for the "unconstitutional" Iran war to end immediately. In a post on social media, the lawmaker argued that the war "never should have started," and it was high time that Republicans join in on the efforts to pass a war powers resolution to curb President Donald Trump from continuing the military strikes in the Middle East. The comments came hours before the Republican-led House rejected a resolution directing the President to end the war with Iran by just one vote.

In a social media post, Lieu claimed that the war with Iran was unconstitutional as Trump never sought approval from Congress, which solely has the authority to launch a war. The lawmaker from California claimed that it wasn't a military operation, as the Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, and the President himself refer to it as a war. "And you have massive airstrikes, you have people dying on both sides, this is a war," Lieu said. He then went on to mention the War Powers Resolution brought forward by Democrats, casting his vote in favor. Lieu in the past has made several calls for the complete withdrawal of the U.S. military from the Middle East, and the removal of Trump from office. He also joined Rep. Jamie Raskin for a bill to create a special commission under the 25th Amendment to oust the President from office.

Despite strong support from the Democrats, the War Powers Resolution was blocked by the Republican controlled House by just one vote. On Thursday, the vote concluded 213-214, which was almost entirely along party lines as Republicans overwhelmingly supported Trump, according to NBC News. The measure proposed by Rep. Gregory Meeks, "directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran," while providing some exceptions for extreme cases under the War Powers Resolution, "unless explicitly authorized" by Congress. Only one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, voted in favor, while one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, went against.

"Donald Trump has dragged the American people into a war of choice, launched without congressional authorization. The President has no coherent strategy, and this open-ended, undefined military engagement is precisely what the War Powers Resolution was designed to restrain," Meeks said on the floor before the vote. He added that any delay just pushed the country closer to conflict with no exit ramp.  

While the House vote failed, it gave Democrats an opportunity to raise the biggest consequences of the war that Americans are facing. The war has cost the U.S. billions of dollars, resulted in the death of over a dozen service members, pushed global oil prices sky high, and driven national gas prices to an average of over $4. Apart from Democratic lawmakers, the consensus among Americans is also negative about the war. A recent CBS News poll found that 60% of Americans disapprove of the military action in Iran and 64% disapprove of Trump's handling of the situation. The rising cost of fuel and fertilizer has also resulted in fears of a political fallout for the Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections in November.