Washington — The House rejected a war powers resolution on Thursday to constrain President Trump in Lebanon after Democratic leaders came out against it.
The resolution, introduced by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, directs the president to remove U.S. armed forces “from Lebanon” within seven days of the measure’s adoption. It failed in a 92 to 324 vote, with two voting present.
“Currently, there are no U.S. servicemembers involved in combat operations or hostilities in Lebanon,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a statement before the vote.
Democratic leaders said another war powers resolution introduced Wednesday by Tlaib with updated language was “the best legislative vehicle to keep U.S. troops out of Lebanon” and they would work with her to “build consensus” on it. They noted the new version had the support of Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee who has led the push in the lower chamber to rein in Mr. Trump’s ability to wage war without congressional authorization.
The new version directs the president to remove U.S. armed forces “from any hostilities in Lebanon” within seven days of the measure’s adoption. It also adds, “Nothing in this concurrent resolution may be construed to prevent or limit security cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces or the protection of diplomatic facilities.”
Tlaib forced the vote after weeks of deadly fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was announced Wednesday as the fighting threatened broader negotiations to end the U.S. war with Iran. But the deal is contingent on Hezbollah ending attacks and leaving part of southern Lebanon.
“We must end the participation in the Israeli government’s violent assault on Lebanon,” Tlaib said on the House floor Wednesday night, calling the U.S. an “active participant” in Israel’s “ethnic cleansing campaign” and “war crimes.”
“The Trump administration is providing intelligence, coordinating strikes and demonstrating overt command over Israeli decisions,” she said.
Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued that Tlaib was asking to remove U.S. forces “from a country where we are not in conflict.”
Floor debate on the resolution came to a standstill when Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio accused Tlaib of supporting terrorists.
“Hezbollah is a terrorist organization … and its members are butchers that you like to hang out with to a certain extent,” Miller said.
Tlaib yelled across the chamber at Miller and demanded that his words be stricken from the Congressional Record, and they ultimately were. But not before Miller told Tlaib, “You advocate for terrorists on a daily basis.”
“That is an attack on my character,” Tlaib said.
The failed vote follows the passage of a war powers resolution on Wednesday to limit Mr. Trump from taking further military action against Iran without congressional approval. It was the first time the House has approved such a measure as the conflict loses support among Republicans.
Democratic leaders added in their statement that they “stand with the Lebanese people, the government of Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces in their efforts to live peacefully and defeat Hezbollah, a violent terrorist organization that is a sworn enemy of the United States.”
“As demonstrated yesterday, House Democrats are committed to ending Donald Trump’s reckless and costly war of choice in Iran,” they said. “We also do not support any effort by the Trump administration to entangle the United States in a war in Lebanon or other parts of the Middle East.”
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