Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) announced Thursday that House Democrats plan to hold a vote to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers after a classified meeting Wednesday where they listened to the Trump Administration’s rationale for killing Iranian general — and known architect of attacks across the Middle East — Qassem Soleimani.
Politico reports that Pelosi is “frustrated” with the White House and will give in to pressure from House progressives to condemn the decision to launch a strike against Soleimani, because Democrats are unconvinced that Soleimani posed an “imminent” threat to U.S. interests in Iraq.
Shortly after the Wednesday meeting, “Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House would vote on Thursday to limit Trump’s war-making powers — likely presenting a united Democratic front against the administration’s recent moves against Iran.”
“There was no raw evidence presented that this was an imminent threat,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus told a press conference Wednesday, adding that she believed the strike against Soleimani was an “assassination,” despite what the Administration calls clear-cut evidence that Soleimani was behind at least 600 American deaths across the Middle East and had been actively working to destabilize a shaky peace in Iraq.
The short resolution, drafted by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), would “halt U.S. military actions against Iran without specific congressional approval. In a nod to the caucus’s moderates, it does not directly criticize Trump or his top officials,” according to Politico.
Several Senate Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) have suggested a similar resolution in the Senate, though not specifically because of Iran — Paul and his colleague Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) have long wanted Congress to re-consider a blanket use of force authorization, passed during the Bush Administration and re-upped regularly during the Obama Administration, authorizing the White House to take unilateral action to handle terrorist threats without consulting Congress as typically required by the Constitution.
Pelosi said, in a statement, that the House is considering a handful of different options to limit the President’s authority to wage war on Iran, including a very progressive option that would completely defund the White House’s military efforts if the President engages in an offensive attack on the rogue nation.
“The Administration must work with the Congress to advance an immediate, effective de-escalatory strategy that prevents further violence. America and the world cannot afford war,” Pelosi added.
The House Democrats may be too little too late, however. Tuesday evening’s reprisal attack from Iran appears to be the end of the confrontation between the United States and the Iranian mullahs. Messages from Iran, issued in the wake of Tuesday night’s missile launches, called the incident “the end” of aggression (though the mullahs are still issuing threats).
They may also be on the wrong side of public opinion. A number of outlets have made clear that the American people supported the killing of Soleimani, even if media outlets and critics of the Trump Administration were quick to panic over the beginning of “World War III.” Statements made by key Democrats in the wake of yesterday’s briefing — including a statement from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — did little to build goodwill.