WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday approved a Democratic-led proposal to end the Iran war, directing President Donald Trump to remove armed forces from hostilities.
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The resolution is non-binding, however. The House voted 214-208, with four Republicans joining all Democrats to cast decisive votes for the measure: Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Tom Barrett, R-Mich., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.
Later in the day, the Senate voted 47-49 to reject a “joint resolution” to end the Iran war that would have the force of law, unlike the House version, but would be subject to a presidential veto. One Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined every Democrat except Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., in voting to advance the measure.
Four Republicans didn’t vote: Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky.
The votes in both chambers were pushed by Democrats eager to get Republicans on the record about an unpopular war ahead of the midterm elections and to reassert Congress’s role as the branch of government responsible for declaring war.
Multiple Senate Republicans have said the war should not go on for more than 60 days without congressional approval in order to comply with federal law. They include Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah. But both men on Thursday voted against the measure to end the Iran war.
Asked why, Tillis said the 60-day clock started this month, not back in February when Trump and Israel first launched strikes on Iran. “July 10, to my knowledge, is the first time I heard anyone in the administration refer to it as a war,” Tillis said, adding that it would be important for Congress to authorize the war once 60 days are up.
“The clock is ticking. We got to get serious about that,” Tillis said. “I think politically, we can help the president with an unpopular war right now if we provide some legitimacy to it.”
House Republicans have also indicated their willingness to give Trump breathing room on the 60-day deadline. Still, four GOP members voted with Democrats to pass the non-binding resolution rejecting the war through the Republican-controlled House, reflecting the unpopularity of the conflict.
“The vote today shows that Congress is starting to join the 70% of American people who are against this war, which is clearly a war of choice, and Congress has to step up to our constitutional responsibility and demand it,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, told NBC News.
Meeks added that Democrats have more tools to force Trump to end the war, such as the “power of the purse” ahead of an upcoming Sept. 30 deadline for Congress to fund the government, including the military. He added that he’s introducing a resolution “to sue the administration” for defying Congress on the Iran war, which he plans to force a vote on when the House returns from its summer recess in five weeks.
Public opposition to the Iran war has put Republicans in competitive areas in a difficult position.
Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., who represents a swing district and is a top target of Democrats in November, voted against the resolution. He said he recognizes the war’s economic impact but emphasized that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.
“I think people see the prices of fuel and they immediately correlate one and the other. But I think we’re all in agreement that this needs to come to a resolution expeditiously. Under no circumstances should Iran have nuclear weapons,” Bresnahan said Thursday. “Iran is not a friend to the United States, but there needs to be a definitive solution there quickly.”
He said he’d like the Strait of Hormuz to open as soon as possible so the prices of gas and fertilizer can come back down. “The sooner, the better,” he said. “But at the same time, you can’t allow a foreign adversary to run rogue and hold hostage American supply chains because … they are just acting radically.”
Seven Republicans and two Democrats didn’t cast a vote on the House’s Iran measure Thursday.
It is not the first time that Congress has formally disapproved of the war. The House approved a similar war powers resolution in early June on a 215-208 vote, with the same Republicans supporting it who voted for the measure Thursday. The Senate later passed the same non-binding measure.
Democrats have continued to force these votes to get Republicans on the record about a war that a majority of Americans oppose. The failed Senate measure was led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
“Not only are the vast majority of Americans opposed to this war; it’s the most unpopular war that we’ve had in a very, very, very long time,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said, noting that even self-identified “MAGA” voters are skeptical of the war.
“These are folks who deeply support Donald Trump, but they actually liked when he was talking about ending forever wars instead of getting into them,” she said.
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