Seventy-nine House Democrats voted against blocking a motion to impeach President Donald Trump for launching military strikes on Iran without seeking authorization from Congress.
The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly — 344 to 79 — to table a resolution from Democratic Texas Rep. Al Green to impeach the president. Green, a liberal firebrand who has repeatedly sought to oust Trump for allegedly abusing his power, filed articles of impeachment against the president Tuesday morning and immediately forced lawmakers to vote on his resolution.
House Democratic leadership notably joined GOP lawmakers in rejecting Green’s impeachment push. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ decision to help torpedo a resolution impeaching the president follows his move to quash a similar impeachment push from Democratic Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar in April.
Green introduced articles of impeachment at least three times against Trump during the president’s first term, but the House moved to table all of his impeachment resolutions. The House voted to censure Green for heckling the president during his joint address to Congress in March. Ten Democratic lawmakers crossed partisan lines to formally condemn Green’s behavior.
“I believe that this country has come too far to allow a single person to declare war without conferring with the Congress of the United States of America,” Green said during a speech on the House floor Tuesday during which he referred to Trump as an “authoritarian president” and “would-be dictator.”
Speaker Mike Johnson, a former constitutional lawyer, has defended Trump’s authority to launch military strikes on Iran without authorization from Congress, arguing the president’s move did not violate the Constitution.
“Many respected constitutional experts argue that the War Powers Act is itself unconstitutional. I’m persuaded by that argument,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday at a House GOP leadership press conference. “Many more scholars believe the President is … correct to use this executive authority in exactly the manner that he did over the weekend.”
Johnson also observed that most military operations since World War II have been executed without a declaration of war from Congress.
“President [Joe] Biden ordered strikes on Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. President [Barack] Obama launched an eight month long bombing campaign in Libya to oust Gaddafi,” Johnson said. “President [Bill] Clinton initiated air patrols and airstrikes in Bosnia and a bombing campaign in Yugoslavia. Every one of those actions were taken unilaterally and without prior authorization from Congress.”
Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who has argued Trump’s military strikes were grounds for impeachment, voted to advance Green’s resolution.
Democratic Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who lost a bid to serve as the top Democrat on the influential House Oversight Committee Tuesday, also voted to keep Green’s impeachment resolution alive.
Two prominent House Democrats, Robert Garcia of California and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey, did not vote. Garcia won the election conducted via secret ballot Tuesday to serve as lead Democrat on the Oversight Committee following the death of Democratic Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly. Sherrill is the Democratic nominee for New Jersey’s 2025 gubernatorial race.
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