Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona is among congressional Democrats who are trying again this week to force a vote to end the war in Iran.
Senate Democrats have already tried three times to rein in President Donald Trump’s war with Iran through war powers resolution votes. Each of those attempts has failed, mostly along party lines.
In a press release Monday, Kelly said he was adding his name to a new war powers resolution filing, along with 10 other Senate Democrats.
"Americans want Washington to improve their lives, not to drag us into another endless conflict in the Middle East that is putting American service members at risk and driving up costs at home,” Kelly stated in the press release. “Congress has the power to stop this chaos and hold this president in check, and that's exactly what we should do.”
The war in Iran began six weeks ago. The White House has said Trump was within his rights to order strikes in Iran to protect the U.S. through limited military operations.
If a president initiates military hostilities, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 puts a 60-day limit on the war, unless Congress approves an extension. That gives Congress until the end of this month to authorize this war.
“The American people are poorer and less safe because of this president he got us into a conflict without a strategic goal without a plan without a timeline without an exit strategy, and at this point he is just flailing,” Kelly said.
“We are going to continue this. We are going to demand debates. We’re going to use our positions to bring war powers resolution after war powers resolution because the Republicans don’t want to talk about this,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
Jeffries said Trump can’t be allowed to establish a standard of waging wars without congressional approval.
“If we allow this as a Congress this is the new standard. Donald Trump can wage war on Cuba next. For 30, 60 days. Before having to consult Congress. Donald Trump could invade Greenland,” Jeffries said. “These are not hypothetical. He's said he is going to take Cuba, he's said he is going to take Greenland. The standard this Congress - the Republicans in this Congress - are setting is the president can attack any country, pledge billions of dollars, have multiple American lives lost and there be no congressional action whatsoever until 60 days.”
KJZZ's Camryn Sanchez contributed to this article.
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