Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House will vote Thursday on a resolution limiting President Trump’s military action with Iran.
The measure is in response to Trump’s decision to kill Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, which Democrats believe was unjustified and some have labeled an assassination.
Recommended Stories
“Last week, the Trump Administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military airstrike targeting high-level Iranian military officials,” Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday. “The Administration took this action without consulting Congress. This action endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran. Since then, the President has made clear that he does not have a coherent strategy to keep the American people safe, achieve de-escalation with Iran and ensure stability in the region.”
Democrats paused plans to vote on the measure after Tuesday night’s ballistic missile strikes fired by Iran, which targeted Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops. Iran fired the missiles in reaction to the killing of Soleimani.
Democrats received a classified briefing Wednesday on the justification for the killing. Many Democrats who emerged from the meeting said administration officials did not prove their case.
“The briefing was incredibly thin on facts,” Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, said. “They did not support any claim of an imminent threat that would justify any actions taken to eliminate Suleimani.”
Kaine will introduce his own war powers resolution as soon as next week. It has at least two GOP supporters, Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
