Jayapal Statement on Iran War Powers Resolution Vote
WASHINGTON, DC — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement after voting for the Iran War Powers Resolution, which failed to pass in the House of Representatives 212-219.
“I voted yes on this resolution because Congress alone has the power to declare war, and we cannot be putting our troops at risk based on the ‘opinion’ of any President unilaterally. House Republicans and a handful of Democrats have just handed Trump and his administration a blank check to continue his unconstitutional and illegal war in Iran. Six U.S. servicemembers have already been killed, and more than a dozen have been injured. More than $5 billion in taxpayer money has been wasted. And all that as Marco Rubio let it slip that there was no imminent threat from Iran. Instead, the imminent threat was that the Israeli government was planning to attack Iran. This is clearly a war of choice, not necessity.
“At the same time, Republicans pushed through a bad-faith resolution that they frame as a condemnation of Iran’s support for terror groups across the Middle East. However, in reality, the language in the resolution is a backdoor attempt to try and retroactively create a legal basis for this unconstitutional war under the overly broad 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF).
“How many more failed regime changes, billions of dollars wasted, and American deaths will Republicans accept before they finally say ENOUGH. They are destroying the system of checks and balances implemented by our founders, they are ignoring our Constitution, and they are putting American lives at risk.
“Let’s be clear: this is a further piece of Trump and his administration’s cover-up of a failing economy, of the Epstein Files, and of their disastrous policies that have made life harder for working Americans while rewarding billionaires.”