In what The New York Times called a “bipartisan” and “remarkable rebuke” to Donald Trump, the House of Representatives passed a resolution directing him to “withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war.” The Times also called it “a striking sign of growing opposition” to Trump’s unnecessary war that he can’t seem to figure out how to end.
You may recall that Mike Johnson shut down Congress early for the Memorial Day holiday to avoid the embarrassing-to-Trump vote. Perhaps even more embarrassingly, Republicans “made no headway over the ensuing days in winning converts,” The Times reported. Also, once the War Powers Resolution was invoked, there is a limited period of time in which it must be voted on.
The four Republicans who voted with all the Democrats to end the war were Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
The war powers resolution will now go to the Senate, which already passed a similar bill. But that does not mean Trump will be forced to end the war.
“The ability of lawmakers to force a president to withdraw troops remains a contested legal question, and Mr. Trump and his senior aides have dismissed any effort by Congress to limit his war powers as unconstitutional,” The Times noted. “Any attempt to make the directive to withdraw U.S. forces in Iran legally enforceable would almost certainly require Mr. Trump’s signature, or have two-thirds of both chambers vote to override a veto.”
But this is not an exercise in futility. You can bet your ketchup bottle that thin-skinned Trump can see Republicans are at least beginning to grow a few small spines, at least when it comes to his unnecessary war, his obscene ballroom and his obscenely corrupt slush fund.
So, regardless of the legal or legislative outcome, the message to the reality TV star in the White House will be heard loud and clear. Let there be many more to come.