Latest news with #WarPowers
CNN
7 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Senate fails to advance Iran War Powers resolution
The Senate on Friday rejected a Democrat-pushed resolution that aimed to rein in the president's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, originally introduced the resolution last week, under the War Powers Act of 1973, before President Donald Trump authorized US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The resolution would have required congressional approval for any further strikes on Iran that are not in self-defense or due to imminent danger. 'I think the events of this week have demonstrated that war is too big to be consigned to the decision of any one person,' Kaine said on the Senate floor on Friday. 'War is too big an issue to leave to the moods and the whims and the daily vibes of any one person.' Lawmakers voted against advancing it to the Senate floor, 53-47. GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted with Democrats to advance the resolution. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against it. Friday's vote was a notable departure from a similar war powers vote in 2020 related to Iran, in which eight Republicans voted with Democrats, seven of whom are still in the Senate. GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, one of those who had voted for the 2020 resolution and is now up for reelection, wrote on X Thursday, 'I'll be voting with Republicans against the war power resolution. When we're talking about nuclear weapons, the president should have the discretion he needs to act.' Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who also joined Democrats to back the resolution five years ago, said in his own post, 'Based on President Trump's stated goal of no further military action against Iran and conversations with senior national security officials regarding the Administration's future intentions, I do not believe an Iran war powers resolution is necessary at this time.' Sen. Susan Collins of Maine added, 'I continue to believe that Congress has an important responsibility to authorize the sustained use of military force. That is not the situation we are facing now. The President has the authority to defend our nation and our troops around the world against the threat of attack.' Paul declared he would back the resolution in a speech on the floor, in which he insisted Congress assert its constitutional authority. 'If we are to ask our young men and women to fight, and potentially give their lives, then we in this body can at least muster the courage to debate if American military intervention is warranted,' he said. 'Abdicating our constitutional responsibility by allowing the executive branch to unilaterally introduce US troops into wars is an affront to the constitution, and the American people.' Paul also warned that no one can predict how the Israel-Iran conflict could progress. 'History is replete with examples of leaders who in their hubris thought they could shape the fate of nations, but were subsequently proven wrong as events ended up controlling them,' he said. 'Pandora's box has been opened,' added Paul. 'Congress must now focus its effort on de-escalation and preventing the call for regime change – the consequences of which, if applied to Iran, risk the total destabilization of the Middle East.' The House could bring up its own Democrat-led war powers resolution after July 4. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who has faced heavy backlash from the administration for criticizing the strikes on Iran, had also introduced a war powers resolution as well, but ultimately decided not to bring it up amid a ceasefire in the Iran-Israel conflict. House Speaker Mike Johnson has sharply criticized members for demanding Trump receive congressional approval for strikes on Iran, adding that he doesn't believe the War Powers Act is constitutional. 'Many respected constitutional experts argue that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional. I'm persuaded by that argument. They think it's a violation of the Article Two powers of the commander in chief. I think that's right,' Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. He also called allegations that the strikes on Iran were unconstitutional, or even impeachable, 'outrageous.' 'It would be comical if it were not so serious and stupid. Let me be clear and be as clear as possible: the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were clearly within President Trump's Article Two powers as commander in chief. It shouldn't even be in dispute,' he said. Other Republicans also sharply criticized the resolution, with former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell warning in a statement that it was 'divorced from both strategic and constitutional reality.' 'Was degrading Iran's nuclear capability without expanding the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East a mistake? Was it wrong to seize the rare opportunity made possible by Israel's operations over the last 20 months? Did it not demonstrably advance U.S. interests in the region? Or are isolationists correct in suggesting that such interests do not exist?' he asked.
CNN
8 hours ago
- Politics
- CNN
Senate fails to advance Iran War Powers resolution
The Senate on Friday rejected a Democrat-pushed resolution that aimed to rein in the president's ability to use military action against Iran without congressional approval. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, originally introduced the resolution last week, under the War Powers Act of 1973, before President Donald Trump authorized US strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The resolution would have required congressional approval for any further strikes on Iran that are not in self-defense or due to imminent danger. 'I think the events of this week have demonstrated that war is too big to be consigned to the decision of any one person,' Kaine said on the Senate floor on Friday. 'War is too big an issue to leave to the moods and the whims and the daily vibes of any one person.' Lawmakers voted against advancing it to the Senate floor, 53-47. GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted with Democrats to advance the resolution. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against it. Friday's vote was a notable departure from a similar war powers vote in 2020 related to Iran, in which eight Republicans voted with Democrats, seven of whom are still in the Senate. GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, one of those who had voted for the 2020 resolution and is now up for reelection, wrote on X Thursday, 'I'll be voting with Republicans against the war power resolution. When we're talking about nuclear weapons, the president should have the discretion he needs to act.' Indiana Sen. Todd Young, who also joined Democrats to back the resolution five years ago, said in his own post, 'Based on President Trump's stated goal of no further military action against Iran and conversations with senior national security officials regarding the Administration's future intentions, I do not believe an Iran war powers resolution is necessary at this time.' Sen. Susan Collins of Maine added, 'I continue to believe that Congress has an important responsibility to authorize the sustained use of military force. That is not the situation we are facing now. The President has the authority to defend our nation and our troops around the world against the threat of attack.' Paul declared he would back the resolution in a speech on the floor, in which he insisted Congress assert its constitutional authority. 'If we are to ask our young men and women to fight, and potentially give their lives, then we in this body can at least muster the courage to debate if American military intervention is warranted,' he said. 'Abdicating our constitutional responsibility by allowing the executive branch to unilaterally introduce US troops into wars is an affront to the constitution, and the American people.' Paul also warned that no one can predict how the Israel-Iran conflict could progress. 'History is replete with examples of leaders who in their hubris thought they could shape the fate of nations, but were subsequently proven wrong as events ended up controlling them,' he said. 'Pandora's box has been opened,' added Paul. 'Congress must now focus its effort on de-escalation and preventing the call for regime change – the consequences of which, if applied to Iran, risk the total destabilization of the Middle East.' The House could bring up its own Democrat-led war powers resolution after July 4. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, who has faced heavy backlash from the administration for criticizing the strikes on Iran, had also introduced a war powers resolution as well, but ultimately decided not to bring it up amid a ceasefire in the Iran-Israel conflict. House Speaker Mike Johnson has sharply criticized members for demanding Trump receive congressional approval for strikes on Iran, adding that he doesn't believe the War Powers Act is constitutional. 'Many respected constitutional experts argue that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional. I'm persuaded by that argument. They think it's a violation of the Article Two powers of the commander in chief. I think that's right,' Johnson told reporters on Tuesday. He also called allegations that the strikes on Iran were unconstitutional, or even impeachable, 'outrageous.' 'It would be comical if it were not so serious and stupid. Let me be clear and be as clear as possible: the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were clearly within President Trump's Article Two powers as commander in chief. It shouldn't even be in dispute,' he said. Other Republicans also sharply criticized the resolution, with former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell warning in a statement that it was 'divorced from both strategic and constitutional reality.' 'Was degrading Iran's nuclear capability without expanding the U.S. military footprint in the Middle East a mistake? Was it wrong to seize the rare opportunity made possible by Israel's operations over the last 20 months? Did it not demonstrably advance U.S. interests in the region? Or are isolationists correct in suggesting that such interests do not exist?' he asked.
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Protesters rally downtown to say 'No War On Iran'
Susan Etscovitz from Brookline holds a sign as she sits with other at a noontime rally. John Tlumacki/Globe Staff 'I'm an Over the past two weeks, decades-old tensions between Israel and Iran once again erupted into warfare. On June 13, Israel struck nuclear facilities across Iran. Advertisement According to Iran's health ministry, this and subsequent strikes reportedly Kimia Kahalzadeh, a 19-year-old UMass Amherst student and Iranian American who immigrated to the United States when she was 6, said she boarded a flight out of Tehran just hours before the bombing began on the evening of June 13. While in the air, she received frantic messages from family members following the attacks in real-time. 'My heart sank,' she said. Her great-grandmother, who lived just two houses down from a bombed building in Tehran, fell during the blast and tore her ACL. Advertisement 'She hasn't been able to walk,' Kahalzadeh said. 'Thankfully, her son was able to get her out of Tehran.' Kahalzadeh said she hardly could believe she had walked through the same streets that were bombed just days later. 'These weren't military targets. There were homes. There were neighborhoods, communities, people,' she said. In the following days, both countries exchanged further strikes until the conflict escalated on Saturday, when the US bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. A tentative ceasefire between Israel and Iran was announced early on Tuesday, with both sides agreeing to halt offensive operations. But many protesters do not 'actually trust the ceasefire will hold' and continue to worry about an escalated conflict, Sharafi said. Iranian-American organizer Ziba Cranmer said successive US administrations have failed to reckon with the country's role in shaping Iran's current circumstances. '[The United States] got rid of a democratically elected leader that was wildly popular and very social justice oriented in the '50s,' Cranmer said, referencing former Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh,who was overthrown in a US-backed military coup that cemented the reign of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. 'We've spent trillions of dollars in the last two decades around war in the Middle East,' she added. 'People cannot afford to live in this city. I want them to fund housing vouchers, schools, and hospitals. I don't want to fund weapons.' State Senator Jamie Eldridge,who represents the Middlesex and Worcester districts, urged Congress to 'pass the War Powers resolution and stop Donald Trump from taking us into another war in the Middle East.' Advertisement 'It is absolutely critical that the American people rise up and say, 'Not in our name,'' said Eldridge. Staffers from both Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Edward Markey's offices also spoke at the rally, voicing their bosses' opposition to what they called President Trump's 'unconstitutional' attack on Iran and expressing support for the War Powers resolution aimed at limiting further military action. Sharafi said organizers plan to keep pushing for a permanent ceasefire. She sees a need for a 'robust anti-war movement' in the US. 'There's a lot of stress and trauma of not knowing what is going to happen. It's been great that we have allies here,' she said, pointing to the crowd of protesters. 'People in the [Middle East] don't deserve to constantly be bombed or threatened.' Nathan Metcalf can be reached at
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Trump fires back at AOC after impeachment threat
President Donald Trump is firing back at a top Democrat critic who suggested he should be removed from office for authorizing strikes on Iran's nuclear sites. Over the weekend, Trump directed the U.S. military to deploy a dozen 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bombs that 'obliterated' Iran's three largest nuclear facilities. 'The strikes were a spectacular military success,' Trump said in a late-night address to the nation from the White House on Saturday. New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was the first prominent lawmaker to suggest that Trump should be impeached for his bold action. 'The president's disastrous decision to bomb Iran without authorization is a grave violation of the Constitution and Congressional War Powers,' she said on Saturday. 'He has impulsively risked launching a war that may ensnare us for generations. It is absolutely and clearly grounds for impeachment.' Now, Trump is firing back at AOC telling her to 'go ahead and try impeaching me, again,' adding 'make my day!' 'Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the 'dumbest' people in Congress , is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before,' he wrote. Trump then noted that AOC 'can't stand the concept of our country being successful again,' because members of her party 'aren't used to winning.' After that came the personal attacks on the congresswoman's intelligence, as Trump added 'when we examine her test scores, we will find out that she is not qualified for office.' The Daily Mail reached out to AOC for comment on Trump's rant. Other far left lawmakers were not spared from the president's ire, as he noted that despite her allegedly low qualifications, Ocasio-Cortez was still smarter that Jasmine Crockett and Ilhan Omar. Trump also patted himself on the back, noting that under his leadership, America was 'just now coming back from that Radical Left experiment with Sleepy Joe, Kamala, and 'the autopen,' in charge.' The president said the New York Democrat should additionally follow his lead and set her own house in order first, before sticking her nose in other people's business: 'Instead of her constant complaining, Alexandria should go back home to Queens, where I was also brought up, and straighten out her filthy, disgusting, crime ridden streets, in the District she 'represents,' and which she never goes to anymore,' Trump added. Speaking to Ocasio-Cortez' political future, Trump said 'she better start worrying about her own Primary, before she thinks about beating our Great Palestinian Senator, Cryin' Chuck Schumer, whose career is definitely on very thin ice!' 'She and her Democrat friends have just hit the Lowest Poll Numbers in Congressional History, so go ahead and try Impeaching me, again, make my day!' Trump concluded defiantly. Ocasio-Cortez responded to Trump on X, formerly Twitter, writing 'Mr. President, don't take your anger out on me - I'm just a silly girl. Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war. It only took you 5 months to break almost every promise you made.' The New York City Democrat additionally noted in a follow up post, 'also, I'm a Bronx girl. You should know that we can eat Queens boys for breakfast. Respectfully.' Ocasio-Cortez is not the only member of her party to call for Trump's ousting after the Commander in Chief approved strikes on Iran's nuclear sites Saturday evening. Speaking on the floor of the U.S House of Representatives Tuesday morning, Democratic Texas Congressman Al Green took his party's threats one step further, declaring that he was set to introduce articles of impeachment against the president later today. It comes months after Green threatened to file impeachment articles against Trump after his backing of 'ethnic cleansing' of Palestinians in Gaza, the territory out of which Hamas terrorists are operating.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Republican does U-turn on move to check Trump's war powers
By Republican renegade Rep. Thomas Massie pulled his House resolution to check President Donald Trump's war powers after the president announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. The Kentucky Republican told reporters Monday night that he had agreed to pull his resolution, even after it sparked support from Congressional Democrats looking to score political points against the president. 'I talked to the Speaker on the floor just now and told him we wouldn't push it if the cease-fire holds, so it's really in their court,' Massie said, adding that he would 'wait and see' before making a final call. Massie's action drew praise from Trump's deputy chief of staff James Blair. 'Thank you for your attention to this matter,' Blair wrote, adding the siren emoji to highlight Massie's stunning U-turn. Massie was vocal about his opposition to U.S. military strikes of Iranian nuclear facilities in Iran, challenging the president for what he described as an 'unconstitutional' act to go to war without the authority of Congress. He previously boasted that his War Powers Resolution, that he launched with the support of Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California had 57 cosponsors. 'Whether you like it or not Congress will be voting on U.S. hostilities in Iran,' he wrote Monday afternoon on social media. Trump expressed his frustration with Massie, after the Kentucky Congressman went on television for several interviews where he criticized the president. 'GET THIS 'BUM' OUT OF OFFICE, ASAP!!!' Trump posted on social media. 'Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is. Actually, MAGA doesn't want him, doesn't know him, and doesn't respect him,' Trump also wrote. Massie repeatedly criticized the president, especially after Trump floated the prospect of regime change in Iran. 'This is not America First folks,' he wrote. I will not vote for the United States to get dragged into another regime change war. In fact, I will actively oppose it.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also took on Massie during a Fox News segment on Monday. 'He should be a Democrat because he is more aligned with them than with the Republican Party,' she said. She also pushed back on Massie's claim that Trump's action was unconstitutional. 'The White House was not obligated to call anyone because the president was acting within his legal authority under Article 2 of the Constitution, as commander-in-chief of the president of the United States,' Leavitt concluded. On Sunday, Trump additionally criticized Massie for grandstanding on television after the successful military strikes on Iran. 'He's a simple minded 'grandstander' who thinks it's good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon , while at the same time yelling 'DEATH TO AMERICA' at every chance they get,' Trump wrote on social media, describing him as 'weak' and 'ineffective' and 'disrespectful to our great military.' 'MAGA should drop this pathetic LOSER, Tom Massie, like the plague!' Trump concluded. Massie responded to Trump on his own social media account. 'Donald Trump declared so much War on me today it should require an Act of Congress,' the congressman wrote with the hashtag #sassywithmassie.
