House to Vote on Restraining Trump’s Actions Against Iran
By Matthew Daly and Alan Fram • Updated 2 hours ago
The Democratic-controlled House moved toward approving a non-binding measure Thursday aimed at limiting President Donald Trump's ability to take military action against Iran as criticism of the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general intensifies
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the war powers resolution, which does not require Trump's signature, nonetheless “has real teeth” because it is "a statement of the Congress of the United States. I will not have that statement be diminished by whether the president will veto it or not.''
The Democratic measure seemed certain to pass Thursday over solid Republican opposition. A similar proposal by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., faces an uphill fight in the GOP-run Senate. Kaine's efforts received a boost Thursday as Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, an ex-Marine, said he might support the war powers measure. Two other Republican senators said Wednesday they would back the Kaine plan.
“We are members of a separate and distinct branch of government. It is our duty not to take anyone’s word for things as we are dealing with matters of life and death,” Young said, adding that he wished Trump administration officials had provided more intelligence information during a briefing Wednesday on a U.S. drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.
Pelosi announced the vote Wednesday, declaring that last week's drone strike that killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani was “provocative and disproportionate."
Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, denounced the Democratic measure as little more than "a press release designed to attack President Trump,'' noting that it has no binding effect and cannot be signed into law.
"This resolution only wastes our valuable time, plays politics with our national security and damages our ability to protect American lives and interests in the Middle East,'' Scalise said.
Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that Soleimani “was traveling the region making plans to bring an attack against American personnel and American forces.” He said it was not possible to share full details of the intelligence with lawmakers because doing so "could compromise sources and methods."
Vice President Mike Pence: Iran Was Trying ‘To Kill Americans’ In Iraq | TODAY
Joining TODAY live from the White House, Vice President Mike Pence disputes the idea that Iran deliberately avoided American casualties when it fired missiles at an airbase in Iraq, saying the missiles “were intended to kill Americans.” He defended the U.S. decision to kill Iran’s top general, saying “the threat of Soleimani is gone.” He added “President Trump made the right decision … America is safer, the world is safer.”
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