House votes to end Iran war as Northwest Republicans oppose measure
WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives on Wednesday voted for the first time to end the increasingly unpopular U.S. conflict with Iran as four Republicans sided with Democrats, but every GOP lawmaker from the Northwest opposed the measure.
The legislation invokes the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires a president to end hostilities within 60 days unless Congress authorizes a war, and it comes 96 days after the United States and Israel launched a joint assault on Iran that has led to elevated prices for oil, gas, fertilizer and other products that are vital to the global economy. President Donald Trump has cited various reasons for starting the war, including the threat of Iran developing nuclear weapons, and could veto the largely symbolic measure if it passes the Senate.
Democrats voted unanimously for the measure, joined by GOP Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Every other Republican who was present voted no, including Reps. Michael Baumgartner of Spokane, Dan Newhouse of Sunnyside and Russ Fulcher, who represents North Idaho.
Baumgartner has defended the Trump administration's decision to attack Iran, arguing that the Iranian government has effectively been at war with the United States since the Islamic Revolution of 1979. In a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier on Wednesday, the Eastern Washington congressman congratulated Secretary of State Marco Rubio for doing an "impressive job" as the top U.S. diplomat and said his only critique was that Americans need to hear more from Rubio, whom he called "the best communicator in the administration on complex foreign policy issues."
Despite leading the State Department and serving as Trump's acting national security adviser, Rubio was largely absent from the administration's public messaging about the war for weeks after he told reporters on March 2 that the U.S. government had joined the war because it knew Israel was going to attack Iran - a remark that critics of the war across the political spectrum seized on. But as the conflict continues, the secretary of state has re-emerged as a prominent messenger, including when he filled in for the White House press secretary on May 5.
In that briefing, Rubio argued that the War Powers Resolution is unconstitutional, correctly pointing out that every presidential administration has taken that position since Congress overrode then-President Richard Nixon's veto in 1973 to make the bill into law.
After passing the House on Wednesday, the resolution heads to the Senate. The Senate voted 50-47 on May 19 to move forward on a formal vote to end the war, suggesting there may be enough support to pass the Senate. Three Republicans joined Democrats to vote in favor.
Even if it's approved by the Senate, it appears unlikely to have the two-thirds majority in both chambers required to override a likely veto by Trump.
Orion Donovan Smith's work is funded in part by members of the Spokane community via the Community Journalism and Civic Engagement Fund. This story can be republished by other organizations for free under a Creative Commons license. For more information on this, please contact our newspaper's managing editor.
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