Republicans Block Democrats from Introducing a Measure to End the War in Iran
Despite not having the numbers to move the needle in a concrete way, Congressional Democrats are fighting back against the war in Iran. Read on for details on what happened on Capitol Hill on Thursday as Democrats look for ways to bring the hostilities in the Middle East to an end.
GOP Blocks Democrats' Efforts to End the War
It was another tense day in Washington, D.C. on Thursday as House Democrats tried to push through a resolution to end the ongoing war in Iran. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives blocked Democrats from considering a measure that would bring an end to the fighting in the Middle East.
Congress has been on recess this week, not scheduled to return in full until next week. The war powers resolution that the Democrats wanted to put forth would have needed unanimous support to move forward. The GOP owns the majority in both the House and the Senate, making it difficult for the Democrats to pass through partisan legislation.
The brief, procedural pro forma session was kicked off by Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey. The representative from Maryland attempted to introduce the war powers measure. However, GOP Rep. Chris Smith refused to recognize the Democrats on the floor, vocally adjourning the proceedings, much to the chagrin of the Democrats in attendance.
Smith ignored Ivey's demand to be recognized as a small group of Democrats yelled out to encourage Smith to acknowledge Ivey. Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon from Pennsylvania yelled out "Shame!" after Smith signaled the end of the session by banging the gavel. Ivey ended his remarks by saying, "The Congress needs to consider this. The time has come."
While the majority of Congress is still away on the scheduled two-week break for Passover and Easter, Democrats called an informal session in an attempt to take up the legislation. It should be noted that Republicans are not required by chamber rules to acknowledge the Democrats during a pro forma session. However, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had given the heads-up on Wednesday that Ivey would be there to try to force the measure following threats by the White House.
It was unlikely that the bill would have ever passed through the House with the GOP in control of the chamber. However, the Democrats are aiming to put it on the record that their party opposes what they are now calling a "war of choice." Democratic leaders have been growing more discontent with what they think is President Donald Trump's abuse of power.
What Comes Next on Capitol Hill
There was some good news out of the Middle East this week. After a few tense days in which Trump threatened to take out all of Iran, mediators from Pakistan were able to negotiate a fragile two-week ceasefire. Despite the temporary truce, Iran is still in control of the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The blockade has sent oil prices soaring, threatening the international economy.
Although the April 9 measure proposed by the Democrats went nowhere, party leaders are adamant that they have no plans to back down. The goal of the Democrats is to put their GOP colleagues on record for supporting the conflict. The optics of this are important, as the majority of Americans do not support the war.
Senate Democrats have said that they will also take action next week when they return from recess. These leaders want to force another vote on a resolution to end the war, effectively making the Republican senators commit to supporting the U.S. involvement in the Middle East.
There have been some cracks in the GOP support for President Trump in recent days. Some of the party's prominent leaders have signaled that they will not support the war effort beyond the end of April. The War Powers Act requires that U.S. presidents receive formal approval from Congress to continue military operations past 60 days. Another 30 days are allowed to bring troops out of the region.
As the war began at the end of February, the Trump administration will need to get congressional approval to continue the military operations past the end of April. With such a slim margin in the House and the Senate, Trump will need to shore up the support of all of his party in order to keep the war effort afloat.
In addition, a number of influential conservative media figures have also criticized Trump for his handling of the conflict. These detractors include Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Candace Owens, and Megyn Kelly.
With no end to the conflict in sight, all eyes will be on Capitol Hill next week when Congress returns to work.
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