US Democrats Push for Vote on War Powers

According to Politico, US Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a vote next week on a resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct airstrikes in Iran.
Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives announced last week that they would begin procedures to force the House to vote on the resolution concerning Iran. This resolution requires President Trump to cease using armed force against Iran unless explicitly authorized by Congress.
The resolution’s passage remains open in both the Republican-controlled House and Senate. However, the effort has received support from at least two Republican House representatives: Thomas Massie (Kentucky) and Warren Davidson (Ohio). This opens the possibility that the resolution could pass in the House if it receives sufficient support from Democrats and the final vote count meets the requirements.
Representative Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California who co-sponsored the resolution with Massie, urged lawmakers to reconvene in Washington on March 2-3 for a vote. Khanna called the US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran on the morning of February 28 the beginning of “an illegal regime-changing war in Iran, putting American lives at risk.” On social media, Massie also described the attacks as “acts of war not authorized by Congress.”
Certainly, President Trump would veto the resolution if it passed, but a significant vote of support from Republicans could persuade him to limit the attacks on Iran. Previously, the Senate had passed a procedural vote on a resolution against the airstrikes that led to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, prompting the White House to subsequently tone down the attacks and send Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Capitol Hill to testify before lawmakers.