Washington
US President Donald Trump thumbed his nose on Sunday at critics angered at being kept in the dark over the US killing of a top Iranian general, saying he didn’t need congressional approval — even for a “disproportionate” strike.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been leading the backlash against Trump’s decision to authorise a drone strike against Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, an operation that Trump only officially informed Congress about on Saturday — nearly 48 hours after the event.
Pelosi said the House will introduce and vote on a war powers resolution this week to limit Trump’s military actions regarding Iran.
“This resolution is similar to the resolution introduced by Senator Tim Kaine in the Senate,” Pelosi said in a statement late on Sunday. “It reasserts Congress’s long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further congressional action is taken, the administration’s military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days.”
The resolution is likely to win approval in the Democratic-led House, but prospects for passage are less certain in the Senate, which is controlled by Trump’s fellow Republicans, many of whom have said they support the president’s action on Iran.—AFP
