Donald Trump took America to a point of near-no-return last week, and that alarmed senators enough to take action to prevent this from happening again. The wayward commander-in-chief decided to unilaterally assassinate the top military member of another country’s government. Lest Trump forget that he is not a dictator, this is what the Senate is doing.
When POTUS hit the Iranian general on Iraqi soil, his drone also blew up the relationship between the U.S. and Iraq. Our former ally told Trump to leave. Iran used to be considered one of the most erratic countries. Yet, 45 would have started World War III but for Iraq’s considered response to POTUS’ attack.
Tuesday, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) said that he had garnered the 51 votes he needed in the Senate to pass a resolution that was a rebuke of Trump, according to The Bloomberg News. The resolution should limit Trump’s ability to unilaterally carry out a military attack against Iran without congressional approval.
Last week, Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY) approached Kaine last week after the Senate briefing by Trump’s military leaders. Lee came out of that meeting, saying that it was “insulting” and the worst briefing he had ever had during his time in the Senate.
Kaine said Tuesday he has 51 “declared votes“ for a revised version of his war powers resolution. He added that GOP senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Mike Lee, Rand Paul, and Todd Young (R-IN) will support his measure.
Kaine told reporters that his colleagues felt they were only given “morsels of information” in the Trump administration’s miltary brieifing:
‘In conversations with Republican colleagues, especially after the briefing last week, they were discouraged that the attitude that was being communicated to us that Congress is an annoyance” and they only wanted to provide “morsels of information.’
Kaine said his resolution gave Trump an order to “cease any hostilities against Iran.” Then, he tied up the order expanding it to include Iran’s “government or its military” in case the president tried to weasel-word his way around the Senate order:
‘After that they came to me and we have been able to make amendments that earned the support first of Senators Lee and Paul, but now the support also of Senators Young and Collins.’
Young informed the White House that he will support the Kaine resolution when it had been polished to exclude some of its political language:
‘The members of the administration with whom I spoke, who are important advisers to the president on issues of national security, were comfortable with my principled position.’
Collins released a statement that said Kaine’s revised resolution did not actually halt Trump or any presidents following him from defending the U.S. military abroad. However, Congress needed to reassert itself as a co-equal branch of the government and retake its “constitutional role:”
‘Congress cannot be sidelined on these important decisions. Only the legislative branch may declare war or commit our armed forces to a sustained military conflict with Iran.’
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters on Tuesday:
‘We believe we will get 51 votes. We believe this resolution is the right way to go.’
Of course, after the resolution passes the Senate, the president can veto it, because Kaine did not have a veto-proof majority.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
