Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a war powers resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s ability to make offensive strikes in Iran, as revealed in a Sunday letter.
Pelosi’s resolution is paired with a similar document written by Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine for the Senate, taking some wind out of the sails for Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was the first party member to introduce legislation asserting congressional authority against Trump’s war powers on Friday. Sanders introduced the legislation with Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Dan Crenshaw Explains Exactly Why Taking Out Qasem Soleimani Was The Right Move)
“This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran,” Pelosi’s letter read. “It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.”
Pelosi’s bill serves as a less radical alternative to Sanders’, which would have prevented any further military action in or against Iran without congressional approval. Peolsi’s resolution will give Trump thirty days to gain congressional approval before he must cease hostilities.
“Today, we are seeing a dangerous escalation that brings us closer to another disastrous war in the Middle East,” Sanders wrote in a statement. “A war with Iran could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars and lead to even more deaths, more conflict, more displacement in that already highly volatile region of the world.”
The announcements from Pelosi and Sanders come after the Trump administration carried out a successful drone strike on Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was widely regarded as the 2nd-most powerful person in Iran.
His death caused Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to vow vengeance, and many Democrats argue that killing Soleimani was an unnecessary escalation that could lead to open war. (RELATED: Iran’s Supreme Leader In Tears At Funeral For Soleimani)
The Trump administration maintains the strike was necessary, arguing that Soleimani was “actively” involved in planning more attacks against the U.S. and its allies.
