U.S. Senator Doug Jones, D-Alabama, on Thursday joined a bipartisan vote to require President Donald Trump to seek Congressional approval before taking further military action against Iran.
“Before a President can lead us into war, he or she must first earn the support of the American people and also fulfill their solemn constitutional obligation to seek approval from Congress,” Jones said in a statement Thursday. “While the President has the power to protect Americans in the case of an imminent attack, that authority does not extend to committing our service members to long-term hostilities unilaterally. This resolution sends a strong message that we will follow the Constitution and we will not send our troops into harm’s way without the serious consideration and consent of the Congress.”
Jones, a member of the the Senate Armed Services Committee, co-sponsored the legislation, which passed after a 55 to 45 vote, but the move was largely symbolic, as it failed to pass with the required two-thirds vote to prevent a presidential veto, which Trump has promised.
The vote to limit Trump’s ability to wage war with Iran came almost six weeks after Trump ordered a drone strike that killed Iranian major general Qasem Soleimani of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and nine others.
The drone strike, which Trump ordered without first getting approval from Congress, resulted in a retaliatory missile attack by Iran on Iraqi-U.S. occupied bases that left more than 100 American soldiers with traumatic brain injuries from the concussive blasts.
In a rare break, eight Republican senators broke from their party to vote with Democrats to approve the effort. Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Jerry Moran of Kansas, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Young of Indiana, Senators Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky all voted in favor of limiting Trump’s power to engage in war with Iran.
On Wednesday, a day before the Senate vote, Trump urged Republicans to vote against the measure in a tweet.
“It is very important for our Country’s SECURITY that the United States Senate not vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution. We are doing very well with Iran and this is not the time to show weakness. Americans overwhelmingly support our attack on terrorist Soleimani,” Trump’s tweet reads. “If my hands were tied, Iran would have a field day. Sends a very bad signal. The Democrats are only doing this as an attempt to embarrass the Republican Party. Don’t let it happen!”
