House pulls Iran war powers vote ahead of Memorial Day recess
House Republicans pulled a war powers resolution vote Thursday using a procedural loophole just before Congress’s Memorial Day recess. rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who authored the bill, accused GOP leadership of delaying despite being confident the measure would pass, calling it “cheating.” He argued Republicans had the votes lined up but postponed the action as gasoline and food prices were rising.
The resolution had been poised to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers regarding Iran. The vote was withdrawn after GOP leadership faced multiple absences over the Memorial Day weekend. Meeks’s bill follows two earlier similar war powers resolutions that reached Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), who had been the onyl Democratic “no” vote, though Golden later indicated he would support the Meeks-authored measure.
under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, presidents generally must seek congressional authorization after 60 days of unilateral military action, with a possible one-time 30-day extension limited on offensive operations. The White House contends the situation hasn’t met the statute’s threshold because a ceasefire is currently in effect with Iran.
House Republicans pulled a vote Thursday, through a procedural loophole, that could have reined in President Donald Trump‘s war powers in Iran ahead of Congress‘s Memorial Day recess.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, accused GOP leadership of delaying the vote because it was assured passage.
Recommended Stories
GOLDEN SAVES TRUMP’S WAR POWERS AS GOP OPPOSITION GROWS
“What we’ve just seen is how the Republicans are operating,” Meeks, who authored the bill, told reporters. “They like to cheat. They’re not honest with the American people. Here we are on the eve of Memorial Day, with prices for gasoline going up, prices for food going up. We had a vote, because of this president’s war of choice, that was going to pass. We had the votes without question.”
The war powers resolution was pulled after GOP leadership faced several absences ahead of the Memorial Day weekend.
Two prior war powers resolutions came down to Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), who was the only Democratic “no” vote. Last week, Golden signaled he would support the Meeks-authored measure.
WHITE HOUSE MEETING WITH TRUMP CANCELED OVER IMPASSE ON ‘ANTI-WEAPONIZATION’ FUND
The 1973 War Powers Resolution limits a president’s unilateral military action to 60 days before having to seek authorization from Congress. The law does allow the president to grant himself a one-time 30-day extension with limitations on offensive operations.
The White House has argued that the conflict, which started on Feb. 28, has yet to reach the threshold because of a ceasefire that is in place with Iran.
Hailey Bullis contributed to this article.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
