Opponents of the war on Capitol Hill, however, contended that argument was a misreading of the law. They noted that the U.S. Navy was still engaging in a blockade meant to force Tehran’s hand, even if major combat operations had halted.
The fresh notification likely complicates ongoing efforts by Congress to curb the war in Iran.
The Senate last month voted to end the hostilities in what was a largely symbolic rebuke of the conflict but still a loss for Trump, who has seen a slow erosion of congressional support for his military engagements against Tehran.
That vote, 50-48, was fueled by four Republicans who joined Democrats to vote against the war unless it was given the green light by Congress. Their votes, combined with the absences of Sens. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), were enough to propel the war powers measure forward.
The Senate action followed a similar successful vote in the House, where four Republicans joined Democrats, 215-208, to call for a halt to military operations in Iran unless authorized by Congress.
But the legal impact of those votes was limited. Concurrent resolutions are legally untested pieces of legislation that do not go to the president to be signed into law. Any measure that could restrict those presidential powers would almost certainly face a veto from the White House.
In the letter to Congress, Trump wrote that U.S. military forces “remain postured to take further action, as necessary and appropriate, to address further threats and attacks upon the United States or its allies and partners and to ensure the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran ceases being a threat to the United States and to our allies and partners.”
Jordain Carney and Aaron Pellish contributed to this report.
Source:
www.politico.com