US President Donald Trump, has vetoed the Iran War Powers resolution agreed by the Senate and House of Representatives, calling it a “very insulting resolution” and argued the move of the Lawmakers was “based on misunderstandings of facts and law” in a statement.
The bipartisan resolution was created to limit Trump’s authority to use military force against Iran without congressional approval, after the President’s decision to order a strike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in January.
Before a resolution is made a law in the US, the Senate, House of Reps have to vote on it, when an agreement is reached it is then sent to the White House for the President to sign. Presidents sometimes veto laws, but the US Senate must have over 2/3rds of votes to override a President’s veto, a scenario unlikely to occur.
Trump in a statement issued by the White House blasted the resolution calling it a Democrat attempt to divide the Republican party while also saying he acted within the law in the strike killing of Soleimani.
“This indefinite prohibition is unnecessary and dangerous,” the White House said in a separate message to the Senate on Wednesday night.
“It is a very insulting resolution based on misunderstandings of facts and law”
”The resolution was introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on November 3 by dividing the Republican Party.”
“Contrary to the resolution, the United States is not engaged in the use of force against Iran. Four months ago, I took decisive action to eliminate Qassem Soleimani while he was in Iraq. Iran responded by launching a series of missiles at our forces stationed in Iraq. No one was killed by these attacks,” Trump said in his statement.
”The strike against Soleimani was fully authorized by law, including the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 and Article II of the Constitution.”
“The resolution implies that the President’s constitutional authority to use military force is limited to defense of the United States and its forces against imminent attack. That is incorrect,” Trump said.
“We live in a hostile world of evolving threats, and the Constitution recognizes that the President must be able to anticipate our adversaries’ next moves and take swift and decisive action in response. That’s what I did!”
The resolution was introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and the Senate passed the resolution with bipartisan support despite the President’s vocal opposition. The Democratic-controlled House passed it the following month.
The resolution called for “the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force against Iran.”
It included a provision ensuring the President would still be able to defend the United States from “imminent attack” absent congressional approval.
