Republicans block resolution to take up the measure, which Democrats vow to bring up ‘again and again and again’
Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a measure that aimed to rein in Donald Trump’s power to wage war against Iran without congressional authorization.
The 53-47 vote against taking up the measure fell almost completely along party lines, with no movement from earlier this month when Republicans blocked Democrats’ bid to limit Trump’s war-making power in the days after the joint US-Israeli strikes, known as Operation Epic Fury, began across Iran.
The senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has led several war-powers efforts, was the only Republican to vote in support of the measure, while the senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has emerged as a staunch supporter of Israel, was the only Democrat to break with his party and vote against the resolution.
This is dumb. There is no reason to vote on something that is already law. You’re just letting them drag everything to the right.
He broke the law. If the law isn’t being enforced, then we should begin actions stronger than legislation.
We need to make good trouble
It’s very debatable whether he actually broke the law in this instance. Attacking Iran without congressional approval is allowed by the War Powers Resolution of 1973. The argument against that is that the powers outlined in that resolution are meant to be “emergency powers” but “emergency powers” are very easy to invoke and I’m not aware of any precedent of a president not being permitted to invoke them. And the US hasn’t formally declared war since WWII, so they’re invoked fairly often.
Getting more clearly restrictive laws in place would be a good thing, and getting Republicans on record as opposing them is only mostly useless (look, it’s a low bar) because it does at least make it a little harder for them to pass themselves off as “antiwar.”
Ok well lets put him on trial and find out, he can be held in a prison cell till the court date is set
That’s not how anything works.
Why? Finding out if the actions of any individual are criminal is usually a job for the courts, why not this?
So let me get this straight. You think that if someone, anyone really, thinks that the president might have violated a law, they should be immediately thrown in jail until it’s resolved? Even the cleanest person in the world would be spending their entire term in a jail cell.