When President Trump decided to retaliate against Iran for attacking Americans in Iraq, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared that Trump should’ve first asked Congress for permission.
And now, the San Francisco Democrat is going to take steps to make the president of the United States subservient to the legislative branch (forget the Constitution).
In a “Dear Democratic Colleague” letter Sunday night, Pelosi said she would soon introduce a War Powers Resolution to “limit” Trump’s “military hostilities with regard to Iran.” The resolution will give Trump a 30-day deadline to halt all hostilities — unless authorized by Congress.
The move came after Trump ordered an airstrike Thursday that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, who was responsible for numerous attacks against Americans. After the killing of the world’s No. 1 terrorist last week, Pelosi said the airstrike was “provocative and disproportionate.”
“This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran. This resolution is similar to the resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine in the Senate. It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days,” she wrote to fellow Democrats.
“As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to keep the American people safe. For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congress’s war powers granted to it by the Constitution,” Pelosi wrote.
The Senate resolution offered by Kaine mirrors the House legislation.
“War powers resolutions are privileged, meaning that the Senate will be forced to vote on the legislation. The resolution underscores that Congress has the sole power to declare war, as laid out in the Constitution,” Kaine wrote on his website. “The resolution requires that any hostilities with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force, but does not prevent the United States from defending itself from imminent attack. The resolution will force a public debate and vote in Congress as intended by the framers of the Constitution to determine whether United States forces should be engaged in these hostilities.”
On Saturday, the White House sent to Congress a formal notification of the airstrike, the Associated Press reported. That notification met the requirement that the president notify Congress within 48 hours of introducing U.S. forces into a foreign land.
Trump said on Sunday that “legal notice is not required” but that he was giving it “nevertheless.”
These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020
For the record, Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama, launched more than 2,800 strikes on Iraq and Syria without congressional approval.
“The U.S. military has been conducting strikes in Iraq for 10 months, and began striking directly at targets in Syria last September as part of Mr. Obama’s announced campaign to degrade the capabilities of the Islamic State,” The Washington Times reported in April 2015.
This past weekend’s attacks brought the total to 1,458 strikes in Iraq and 1,343 in Syria by U.S. forces. Coalition forces allied with the U.S. have conducted another 655 attacks on Iraqi targets and 95 in Syria.
Mr. Obama has justified the attacks under his commander in chief powers and under the 2001 resolution authorizing force against al Qaeda, and the 2002 resolution authorizing the ouster of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
Some lawmakers on Capitol Hill have said Mr. Obama is stretching those laws and that the strikes could be illegal — though they say they want to put them on firm footing by passing a new authorization.
See the full text of Pelosi’s letter below.
Dear Democratic Colleague,
Last week, the Trump Administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military airstrike targeting high-level Iranian military officials. This action endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran.
As Members of Congress, our first responsibility is to keep the American people safe. For this reason, we are concerned that the Administration took this action without the consultation of Congress and without respect for Congress’s war powers granted to it by the Constitution.
This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran. This resolution is similar to the resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine in the Senate. It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.
The House Resolution will be led by Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Congresswoman Slotkin is a former CIA and Department of Defense analyst specializing in Shia militias. She served multiple tours in the region under both Democratic and Republican Administrations.
I greatly appreciate the solemnity with which all of our Members are working to honor our responsibility to protect American lives and values.
Thank you for your patriotic leadership during this difficult time.