In Same Day, House Votes to End Iran War, Keep Funding Ukraine War

The House of Representatives, on largely party-line votes, advanced two seemingly contradictory measures Wednesday: one that would demand an end to the United States-Israel-Iran war and another that would continue U.S. involvement in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Redundant Resolution

The House voted 215-208 to pass a resolution pursuant to the War Powers Act directing President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces “from hostilities” with Iran “unless explicitly authorized by” Congress. The four Republicans who joined Democrats to pass the resolution were Representatives Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Tom Barrett (Mich.), and Warren Davidson (Ohio).

The Hill wrote that the resolution’s passage marked “a victory for Democrats and the constitutional purists who say the conflict is illegal without explicit congressional approval.” Of course, “constitutional purists” see no need for such a resolution given the Constitution’s clear delegation of the power to declare war to Congress.

The president, naturally, took to Truth Social to denounce all the “unpatriotic” congressmen who had voted for the resolution. He accused the Democrats of having “Trump Derangement Syndrome” and the Republicans of being “GRANDSTANDERS” who “should be ashamed of themselves.”

Warning From the War-weary

It took four tries for Iran-war foes to get a war-powers resolution through the Republican-controlled House. Earlier attempts failed to garner enough GOP votes to pass, Republicans having bought the administration’s claims that the conflict really isn’t a war and that, even if it is, it ended when Trump called for a ceasefire in April.

What changed? Reported The Hill:

The GOP’s wall of defense has eroded … as the conflict has grown increasingly unpopular nationally. The shift is not happening within the Republican base, which overwhelmingly supports the war. But independents are souring on the conflict as it drags on — a warning sign for vulnerable Republicans fighting to keep their seats in November’s midterms. 

A major factor in that shifting mood has been economic: The war has led directly to global trade disruptions that have spiked prices on domestic consumer staples such as gas and some groceries, which have hit voters of all stripes. 

On top of that, Trump’s so-called ceasefire has been anything but. Both sides continue to attack each other, always for allegedly defensive purposes. Iran keeps striking neighboring countries that it claims enable U.S. attacks, while Israel pounds away at Lebanon — a major sticking point in Washington’s negotiations with Tehran. Innocent people are still being killed. Republicans who aren’t in thrall to Trump just might think there’s a war going on that they need to stop.

Presidential Pushback

The House resolution is “concurrent,” meaning it only needs House and Senate approval, not Trump’s signature. The Senate, meanwhile, has its own “joint” resolution working its way through the system — Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La.) made a sudden flip from “nay” to “yea” on it last month after Trump saw to his primary defeat — which would require Trump’s okay.

Trump, however, is virtually certain to veto a joint resolution or ignore a concurrent one. The administration has already said as much with regard to the House resolution, which it called an “unconstitutional legislative veto” over executive power — power the president, under the Constitution he has sworn to uphold, does not possess.

Still, Representative Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told The Hill the House resolution’s passage is “very powerful. We’re inching closer to having both chambers of Congress declare this an illegal war.”

Cash for Kyiv

Yet the same House that voted to put an end to the Iran war also voted the very same day in nearly identical numbers to consider a bill that would deepen U.S. involvement in the war between Russia and Ukraine. What’s more, both measures were sponsored by the same person: Representative Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.).

By a 218-204 tally, lawmakers approved a discharge petition that will compel a floor vote on a bill to provide further U.S. aid to Ukraine and empower the president to impose a slew of sanctions on Russia.

The petition, which enables rank-and-file congressmen to force a floor vote on legislation disfavored by House leadership, required the signatures of at least half the 435 members of the House to be brought up for a vote. The 218th signature was applied last month by Representative Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.), a former Republican. Kiley and six Republicans joined all but one Democrat in voting for the petition.

Party Over Principle

On the one hand, then, the House — primarily Democrats — wants to bring an end to a disastrous, deadly, and unconstitutional war that has been going on for just over three months. On the other hand, it wants to continue Uncle Sam’s unconstitutional meddling in a disastrous, deadly war that has dragged on for more than four years in no small part because of Washington’s intervention. What gives?

The Ron Paul Institute seems to have hit upon the answer:

With House Democrats appearing uniformly against one war and for another, it is hard not to see their views on the respective wars as political — vote against the Iran War because it is “President Trump’s war” and for the Ukraine War because it is “President [Joe] Biden’s war.” (In truth, well over a year into Trump’s presidency, the Ukraine War that he had promised to end quickly has become clearly Trump’s war as well.) The same reasoning would seem to apply in reverse to the Republican leadership’s efforts to prevent votes on both matters. The “People’s House” is a disgrace.