The US Parliament (House of Representatives) has passed a resolution limiting President Donald Trump’s powers related to the Iran war. This is being considered a big blow to Trump and his Iran policy. The special thing is that this proposal was also supported by some MPs of Trump’s own Republican Party. 215 votes were cast in favor of this proposal, while 208 MPs opposed it.
Republican MPs Thomas Massey, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett and Warren Davidson crossed party lines and joined the Democratic MPs. Republican MP Tom Barrett said that the people of his area are angry with the rising inflation and economic problems caused by the war. Thomas Massey said that people are troubled by the rising prices of expensive petrol, diesel and fertiliser. According to him, this vote shows that both the public and the Parliament are tired of the long-running war.
Trump accused of breaking the law
Brian Fitzpatrick said that in America there is a law called War Powers Act. According to this law, the President must take the approval of Congress for major decisions like war. He said that such matters should be openly debated in Parliament and then voted on. This proposal was presented by New York’s Democrat MP Gregory Meeks. After voting, he said that all the Democrat MPs supported it and it is also important to get the support of some Republican MPs. He said that the job of Congress is to monitor the powers of the government as per the Constitution.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson is against this proposal. He says that this could weaken the peace talks and diplomatic efforts of the Trump administration. He claimed that all America’s military goals in Iran have been accomplished and now Trump is working towards a peace agreement. Meanwhile, the Inspector General of the Pentagon, US State Department and USAID have started investigating the Iran war.
Parliament’s approval is necessary for a war lasting more than 60 days.
According to law, it is necessary to review foreign military operations lasting more than 60 days. Investigative agencies believe that America’s Iran campaign has been going on since February 28 and has now crossed the limit of 60 days. According to the War Powers Act, the President cannot continue military action for more than 60 days without the approval of Congress. But the Trump administration did not take such approval for Operation Epic Fury.
This is the reason why the Trump administration is now facing questions from Congress, investigative agencies and some leaders of its own party regarding the Iran war. The new proposal will now be sent to the Senate for approval, but will not go to the President for signature. This will not become law directly, but may still increase political and legal pressure on the Trump administration.
Leave a Reply