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Friday, January 10, 2020

US House Of Representatives votes to restrain Trump's actions against Iran Thursday Jan 09,2020

The US House of Representatives on Thursday Jan 09,2020 approved a nonbinding resolution aimed at reining in the president's ability to attack Iran in the future without congressional approval.

The resolution comes as criticism over US President Donald Trump's decision to order the killing of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani on Friday Jan 03,2020 in Iraq intensifies. 

Congress was not consulted prior to the assassination, angering Democrats who fear Trump's actions could trigger a cycle of escalation leading to war.

Under the US Constitution, the authority to direct military action is divided between Congress and the president. Congress has the power to declare war while the president, as commander-in-chief, has the power to use the military to defend the US.

The War Powers Act of 1973 provides that Congress may direct the president to withdraw US forces from hostilities by passing a resolution in both the House and Senate.

The House's War Powers resolution directs Trump to terminate military operations against Iran except for self-defence and clarifies that the president presently does not have congressional authority to engage in war with Iran. A similar version is expected to be debated in the Senate.

Thursday's House vote 224-194 fell along party lines and followed days of frustration by Democrats over Trump actions regarding Iran. Three Republicans and one Independent sided with the Democrats. Eight Democrats voted with Republicans against the resolution.

Congress was not consulted prior to the assassination of Soleimani, angering many Democrats who fear Trump's actions could trigger a cycle of escalation leading to war.

Trump's decision to order the drone attack on Soleimani was "provocative and disproportionate", Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.

The lead sponsor of the House resolution was Democrat Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst who served three tours in Iraq and specialised in tracking Iranian-backed Shia militia groups

But the effect of the congressional votes on any War Powers resolution will be largely symbolic and political, said Lawrence Korb, a national security analyst at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. So long as Trump retains the support of most of the 53 Republicans in the Senate, Trump can veto the measure without risk overridden.

Without "a whole defection of Republicans" in support of limiting the president's war powers, decisions to escalate against Iran will rest with the president and his advisers, Korb told

This is the second time in Trump's presidency Congress has voted against deepening US military engagement in the Middle East.

Last year, Congress rebuked Trump's authorisation of US military support for Saudi-UAE campaign in Yemen, including aerial refuelling of combat aircraft and supplies of precision munitions that were used to kill civilians.

In April 2019, the House approved a War Powers resolution on a 247-175 vote that would have blocked US military engagement in Yemen. The Senate voted 54-46 to approve the measure.

It was the first time in 47 years that Congress had invoked its constitutional authority to try to stop US involvement in a foreign conflict.

Trump vetoed the Yemen bill and Congress did not rally two-thirds majorities needed to override the president



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