Congress To Introduce And Vote On War Powers Resolution This Week

House Democrats will try to limit President Donald Trump‘s hostile actions in Iran with a war powers resolution this week.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) announced the decision in a letter late Sunday to fellow Democrats, in which she called the President’s decision to target Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani a “provocative and disproportionate” mistake.

“This action endangered our service members, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran,” Pelosi wrote.

The Trump administration is being pressured by lawmakers to elaborate on the decision, as well as to declassify the notification that was sent to Congress on Saturday.

“It is critical that national security matters of such import be shared with the American people in a timely manner,” Senators Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey) wrote in a letter to Trump. “An entirely classified notification is simply not appropriate in a democratic society, and there appears to be no legitimate justification for classifying this notification.”

Pelosi echoed those concerns saying, “The highly unusual decision to classify this document in its entirety compounds our many concerns, and suggests that the Congress and the American people are being left in the dark about our national security.”

While the White House has not moved to declassify the document, the administration is scheduling a briefing about Soleimani’s killing on Wednesday.

Several key advisers Trump consulted with will brief the Senate on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. Expected to be there are Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and CIA Director Gina Haspel.

Article by Katherine Huggins