House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Meeks Statement on Senate Passage of His Iran War Powers Resolution

Washington, D.C. - Representative Gregory W. Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, today issued a statement following the Senate's approval of his War Powers Resolution which passed the House of Representatives earlier this month. The Senate passed the Resolution 50-48.

Having passed both chambers as a Concurrent Resolution, this measure does not go to the president's desk for signature. Under the War Powers Resolution, however, it is binding on the president and directs him to cease hostilities against Iran.

"With the Senate passage of my Iran War Powers Resolution, both chambers have now made clear that the president cannot continue this war of choice and must cease all hostilities against Iran. Regardless of what President Trump says, this measure is binding under the War Powers Resolution, and I will explore all legal avenues to ensure the Executive complies with the will of Congress. Congress never authorized this failed war, and the president certainly has no authority to continue it indefinitely without our consent as the Constitution demands.

"I thank my Democratic colleagues and the Republicans who joined us across party lines for saying enough is enough. After months of war, billions of taxpayer dollars spent, and 14 dead U.S. service members, Trump's illegal war hasn't achieved a single core U.S. objective with respect to Iran. If anything, it has empowered and emboldened the Iranian regime while Americans suffer from rising costs at home. Even if the administration succeeds in reaching a new nuclear agreement, by their own description, it appears to at best fall short of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that Trump tore up in the first place. This war should have never happened; it has made clear the limits of U.S. military intervention and the need for thoughtful, hard diplomacy."

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