Washington, DC – Ryan Costello, Policy Director with the National Iranian American Council, released the following statement after the House of Representatives narrowly failed to pass H.Con.Res. 40, the Iran War Powers Resolution introduced by Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA), and Jim Himes (D-CT):
“The narrow defeat of a resolution to definitively end the war on Iran is another tragic missed opportunity, but the gap between public opposition to the war and votes to end it is narrowing. All but one House Democrat voted unanimously in support of the resolution but were joined by just one Republican.
“Three Democrats who voted against a previous Iran war powers resolution, took the right side of history today in supporting it, in Reps. Henry Cuellar, Greg Landsman, and Juan Vargas. A single additional Yes vote would have flipped the outcome but the sole remaining Democratic holdout Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME) continues to support Trump’s war. Golden will need to answer to his Maine constituents, many of whom are veterans and pro-peace Americans who question why Washington so consistently sends brave servicemembers into ill-advised, disastrous wars of choice that kill civilians and sabotage the global economy. So too do all of the Republicans who chose again not to use their power to convince President Trump to take an offramp and end this disastrous war that puts Benjamin Netanyahu’s dreams, not the American people and American security, first.
“The American people – including anti-war Iranian Americans – are nonetheless continuing to shift the tide and helping to move this war to an end. Yesterday, more Senators than ever also voted for Joint Resolutions of Disapproval blocking arms sales to Israel for bombs used in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. With more war and peace hanging in the balance, we must all redouble our efforts to end this war before more harm is done: to U.S. and regional security, the people of Iran and the global economy.”
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