In a 224-to-194 vote on Thursday, the Democratic-controlled House approved War Powers Resolution amid increased tensions between Iran and the United States following the US assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani last Friday.
The vote reflected the deep divide in Congress between Democrats, who accuse Trump of acting recklessly in the assassination of Iran’s top general and Trump’s fellow Republicans who strongly support the president.
"The president has to make the case first, not after he launches an ill-advised attack and then comes up with a reason why it was necessary and why it was legal," said Representative Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Meanwhile, Representative Mike McCaul, ranking Republican on the foreign affairs panel, said, "Instead of supporting the president, my Democrat colleagues are dividing Americans at a critical time."
McCaul said the resolution would "tie the president's hands."
While the majority of Republicans opposed the resolution, at least two GOP senators, Rand Paul and Mike Lee, expressed support for it.
Now that passed in the House, the measure will be sent to the Republican-controlled Senate, where its fate remains unclear.
If passed by the House and Senate, the measure does not need to be signed by Trump for it to go into effect.
Meanwhile, the White House issued a statement opposing the resolution as "misguided".
MNA/PR
Your Comment