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Bipartisan Lawmakers Push To Limit Trump’s War Powers On Iran

Above photo: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, January 27, 2020. Flickr/White House, by Joyce N. Boghosian.

Amid Israel’s continued attacks on Iran, U.S. lawmakers from across the political spectrum are pushing efforts to curb Donald Trump’s war powers.

As U.S. involvement in the war threatens to fracture Trump’s political coalition.

In response to Donald Trump’s recent declaration that the U.S. could become involved in Israel’s attacks on Iran, U.S. lawmakers are pushing efforts to curb the President’s war powers.

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY.) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) are introducing a bipartisan bill that would force Trump to obtain congressional approval to enter the war.

“This is not our war,” tweeted Massie. “But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution. I’m introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution.”

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, introduced a priviledged war powers resolution, demanding that “any hostilities with Iran” be “explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force.”

Kaine introduced a similar resolution in 2020 that passed the Senate with bipartisan support.

“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States. I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict,” said Kaine in a statement. “The American people have no interest in sending servicemembers to fight another forever war in the Middle East. This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) introduced the No War Against Iran Act, which would prohibit funding for any use of military force absent congressional approval.

“Another war in the Middle East could cost countless lives, waste trillions more dollars and lead to even more deaths, more conflict, and more displacement,” said Sanders in a statement. “I will do everything that I can as a Senator to defend the Constitution and prevent the U.S. from being drawn into another war.”

Beyond Massie, a number of lawmakers within Trump’s own party have expressed skepticism about U.S. involvement, while some have openly condemned the idea.

When asked about U.S. troops potentially being deployed, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Fox News that he “can’t imagine a world where that happens.”

“I’d be opposed to that. The president is adamantly opposed to that,” he claimed. “I trust President Trump here to keep our troops and other personnel safe in the region.”

“Anyone slobbering for the U.S. to become fully involved in the Israel/Iran war is not America First/MAGA,” tweeted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), in a long post criticizing Republican hawks. “Wishing for murder of innocent people is disgusting. We are sick and tired of foreign wars. All of them.”

In an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said “it’s not the U.S’s job” to get involved in Israel’s war.

“I see more war and more carnage, and it’s not the U.S.’s job to be involved in this war,” said Paul. “Iraq was a mess, Afghanistan was a mess, and one of the things I like about President Trump is he has shown restraint, and so I think his instincts are not to be involved in this war.

“But there’ll be a lot of pressure from Lindsey Graham and others to get involved in this war, and I hope that his interests will prevail,” he continued, referencing the hawkish GOP Senator from South Carolina.

Resistance to a war with Iran isn’t just developing among Republican lawmakers, but across the wider political right.

In his weekly newsletter, conservative commentator and Trump supporter Tucker Carlson blasted the administration for being “complicit” in Israel’s act of war.

“While the American military may not have physically perpetrated the assault, years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night’s events,” wrote Carlson.

“If Israel wants to wage this war, it has every right to do so. It is a sovereign country, and it can do as it pleases,” he continued. “But not with America’s backing.”

Carlson thinks that “what happens next will define Donald Trump’s presidency,” and many of his fellow right-wing pundits agree with him.

“A direct strike on Iran right now would disastrously split the Trump coalition. Trump smartly ran against starting new wars, this is what the swing states voted for – the midterms are not far and Congress’ majority is already razor-thin,” tweeted alt-right activist Jack Posobiec. “America First!”

“No issue currently divides the right as much as foreign policy,” wrote right-wing media personality Charlie Kirk. “I’m very concerned based on every I’ve seen in the grassroots the last few months that this will cause a massive schism in MAGA and potentially disrupt our momentum and our insanely successful Presidency.”

A number of Democrats also warned about the dangers of a widening war.

“The president cannot circumvent congressional war powers and unilaterally send U.S. troops to war with Iran,” tweeted Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). “This is a violation of Article I of the Constitution which requires congressional approval to declare war. The American people do not want another endless war in the Middle East that will cost lives and tear their families apart.”

“Just as talks with Iran were set to resume, Netanyahu launches a strike and declares a state of emergency,” wrote Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN). “He is provoking a war Americans don’t want. We should not allow ourselves to be dragged into yet another conflict, against our will, by a foreign leader pursuing his own agenda of death and destruction.”

“Israel’s strikes on Iran now risk an out of control regional war,” posted Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT). “Trump’s recklessness and poor diplomacy adds to the danger and precariousness of this situation. The Trump Administration must immediately work to deescalate.”

Like the GOP, Democrats also find themselves split from members of their own party on the issue.

In recent weeks, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has criticized the Trump administration from the right, claiming that they are “chickening out” when it comes to Iran.

“The United States’ commitment to Israel’s security and defense must be ironclad as they prepare for Iran’s response,” Schumer told Jewish Insider. “The Iranian regime’s stated policy has long been to destroy Israel and Jewish communities around the world. I have long said that Israel has a right to defend itself and that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. Ensuring they never obtain one must remain a top national security priority.”

Polling indicates that politicians like Graham and Schumer are out of step with the American public.

A May survey published by the University of Maryland Critical Issues Poll program found that 69% of Americans prefer a negotiated agreement limiting Iran nuclear’s program, as opposed to a war with the country. When the numbers are broken down by party affiliation, 64% of Republicans and 78% of Democrats prefer a deal over war.

Just 14% of respondents, including 24% of Republicans, said they preferred military action.

A Economist/YouGov poll from last week found that just 16% of Americans think the U.S. military should join Israel’s war, while 60% are against the move.

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