The Republican-led Senate on Wednesday rejected the latest Democratic attempt to halt President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, turning aside a resolution that would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from the conflict until Congress authorizes further action.
The 47-52 vote was the fourth time this year that the Senate has voted to cede its war powers to the president in a conflict that Democrats say is illegal and unjustified. Republicans say they will keep faith in Trump’s wartime leadership, for now, citing Iran’s nuclear capabilities, the potential for ongoing talks and the high stakes of withdrawal.
Still, GOP lawmakers are anxious for the conflict to end, and some are eyeing future votes that could become an important test for the president if the war drags on. And the outcome of a war powers vote in the House, expected this week, is uncertain.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorize use of force within 60 days of its start — a deadline that will arrive at the end of this month. The law provides for a potential 30-day extension of that deadline, but lawmakers have made clear that they want the administration to soon lay out a plan for the end of the conflict.
After the 60-day or 90-day deadline, “it’s time to fish or cut bait,” said Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina. “I think that the administration would be wise to put together what would look like a well-founded authorization of military force and a funding strategy.”
Republican senators mull a war powers resolution
While voting against the Democratic efforts to stop the war, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has been talking to her GOP colleagues about a resolution that would authorize the conflict beyond the 60-day deadline.
She said last month that the Democratic measures would hurt the troops by prompting an abrupt withdrawal. But she said that Congress should eventually draft an authorization of force and vote on it “so the American people know the limits and objectives of this military operation.”
“There is no question that the president should have sought authorization from Congress before striking Iran on this scale, likewise bringing in our allies ahead of time as they now are equally in danger,” she said at the beginning of March.
Utah Sen. John Curtis said Wednesday that he had looked at Murkowski’s draft and provided feedback, but would not share details. “I think we are all watching” the war and its timeline, Curtis said, adding that he hopes it ends before the deadline.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also said he would like to see the war end in the coming weeks. If not, he said, “at the end of 60 days, I think we need to vote on a military authorization.”
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said that the president’s power “is not unlimited as commander in chief.”
“If this conflict exceeds the 60 days specified in the War Powers Act, or if the President deploys troops on the ground, I believe that Congress should have to authorize those actions,” Collins said in a statement.
Republican leaders are noncommittal
It remains unclear if Republican leaders would go along with a vote to authorize the war. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said this week that “at this point most of us I think feel pretty good about what the military has achieved” in Iran.
But Thune did say that “they do need a plan for how to wind this down, how to get an outcome that actually leads to a safer, more secure Middle East and, by extension, a stronger national security position for the United States.”
Thune said another “inflection point” will be an eventual White House request for war funding. Congress is still waiting for the request, which could total hundreds of billions of dollars.
That is a “power that Congress has to influence what happens there,” Thune said.
Republican Sen. Jim Lankford of Oklahoma said that war funding will “be the big vote.” He added that the question, then, will be: “Is it going to happen or is it not going to happen?” Lankford said.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said that at the 60-day deadline, Congress isn’t going to “jump up and say that’s it, it’s one second past 60 days, everybody come home.”
Some of the people who want a vote just want to embarrass Trump, Kennedy said.
“I want to see us achieve our objective in Iran,” Kennedy said. “And then I want to see us get out.”
Democrats say war is illegal, unnecessary
Democrats have vowed to force votes on the Senate floor as long as the war continues.
“As our troops continue to sacrifice whatever is asked of them, we senators need to do the absolute minimum required of us,” said Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, an Iraq war veteran who lost both legs in combat, before Wednesday’s vote.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that with gas prices climbing, “the American people literally cannot afford for Republicans to forgo another opportunity to work with Democrats to end Trump’s disastrous war.”
Source: AP
--Agencies
