The Senate will vote on Thursday to override President Trump’s veto of a resolution that would have curbed his ability to use military action against Iran.
The vote will happen at 1:30 p.m., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced after the veto on Wednesday, according to the Hill. The move, which would require the approval of two-thirds of Congress, is expected to fail.
“I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to override his veto. Unless there’s a carefully reached consensus in Congress that war is necessary, we should not be sending our troops into harm’s way,” said Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine in a statement after the president’s veto.
The resolution came in response to Trump’s decision to initiate a drone strike against Iranian Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in early January, which killed both him and Mahdi al Muhandis, leader of the Iranian-backed militia group Popular Mobilization Forces.
Trump blasted the resolution, which saw eight Republican senators join forces with Democrats, in a Wednesday statement from the White House.
“This was a very insulting resolution, introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on Nov. 3 by dividing the Republican Party,” Trump said. “The few Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands.”
“My administration has taken strong actions, within statutory authority, to help keep our nation safe, and I will not approve this resolution, which would undermine my ability to protect American citizens, service members, and interests,” he added.
