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Pelosi says House will vote to curb Trump's war powers on Iran

Democrats have said Trump should have consulted Congress before the airstrike that killed an Iranian general.
Credit: AP
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, on the day after the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald Trump on two charges, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The House of Representatives will vote this week on a measure to curb President Donald Trump's war powers concerning the escalating Iran crisis. Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the move in a letter to fellow House members Sunday.

Trump announced last week that he ordered an airstrike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds force. Congressional Democrats have said that Trump did not consult with them first. 

"This week, the House will introduce and vote on a War Powers Resolution to limit the President’s military actions regarding Iran," Pelosi wrote Sunday. "This resolution is similar to the resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine in the Senate. It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days."

Trump said the general had been plotting “imminent and sinister” attacks, but has not provided details about what those plans were.

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The aftermath of the airstrikes has prompted fears of retaliation. The official replacing Soleimani has vowed revenge and Soleimani's daughter sent a warning Monday to the families of U.S. troops that they may be targeted. 

Iran also announced Sunday it would no longer adhere to the requirements of the multilateral nuclear agreement signed in 2015. Trump pulled the U.S. out of the deal in May 2018 and imposed economic sanctions. As late as March 2019, international nuclear inspectors said Iran was still in compliance. In recent months, Iran has steadily pulled back on its adherence to the deal despite the pleas of European nations who were also involved in the accord.

The War Powers Resolution -- more commonly referred to as the War Powers Act -- was a joint resolution that was passed in 1973 despite a veto by President Richard Nixon. It requires a president to notify Congress when armed forces are being deployed and puts limits on how long they can be engaged. But even before Trump, presidents have been accused of ignoring it.

Trump used Twitter Sunday to inform Congress that his tweets serve as notice that the U.S. will strike back if Iran attacks any American person or asset.

"These Media Posts will serve as notification to the United States Congress that should Iran strike any U.S. person or target, the United States will quickly & fully strike back, & perhaps in a disproportionate manner. Such legal notice is not required, but is given nevertheless!" Trump tweeted.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee responded with a Twitter reminder to Trump about war authorization, using similar language to his.

"This Media Post will serve as a reminder that war powers reside in the Congress under the United States Constitution. And that you should read the War Powers Act. And that you’re not a dictator," the committee tweeted.

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