Trump Threatens to Veto House Bills Opposing Iran War

Says bills threatens US ability to defend Americans from Iran

Two bills expected up for vote in the House of Representatives later this week, both of which express Congressional opposition to an unauthorized US war in Iran, are being condemned by President Trump in a statement out of the White House, in which he threatens to veto both.

One of the bills aims to reassert language that was removed from the final version of the NDAA by the Senate, which explicitly forbids funding of any war against Iran without Congressional authorization. The other would repeal the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force on Iraq (AUMF), since officials have at times claimed it also covers Iran.

The White House statement claimed that the bills made war with Iran “more likely” because they undermine Trump’s ability to act against them. They promised a veto although neither is yet expected to even be voted on in the Senate, let alone passed.

A previous House resolution that was a War Powers challenge to attacking Iran had already passed, and was believed to have enough votes to pass the Senate. It is unclear when it will be brought up, however, as the Senate has since transitioned to the impeachment

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.