Swing-district Republican breaks with Trump, pushes limits on Iran war
A House Republican facing a tough re-election fight is moving to impose strict limits on the Iran war, breaking with the Trump administration’s claim that hostilities have ended. Rep. Tom...
By Fox News · Fox News
A House Republican facing a tough re-election fight is moving to impose strict limits on the Iran war, breaking with the Trump administration’s claim that hostilities have ended. Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich., introduced a resolution Thursday that would authorize the war through the end of July to permanently degrade Iran’s nuclear program, address "imminent threats," enforce a naval blockade and ensure safe passage of U.S. ships through the Strait of Hormuz. But the measure would also set stringent guidelines on prolonged military operations by limiting boots on the ground and prohibiting "nation-building" or occupying or seizing Iranian territory. "Two things have been clear from the very beginning: Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the United States of America cannot be dragged into another endless war," Barrett, an Army veteran who served multiple tours in the Middle East, said. "The commander in chief has the sole authority to lead our troops in wartime, but I’ve lost too many friends on the battlefield to allow that to happen without Congress exercising its constitutional role to clearly define the mission with safeguards and a deadline." REPUBLICANS HAND TRUMP THE WHEEL ON IRAN — BUT ONE RED LINE EMERGES "If we don’t learn from our foreign policy failures of the past, we are bound to repeat them," he added. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has also vowed to introduce a similar measure in the upper chamber authorizing the use of military force within strict boundaries, which she has described as a "restraint" on Trump. Barrett’s measure follows the White House largely shrugging off a 60-day deadline to end the war on Friday by arguing that the ceasefire that began on April 7 effectively stopped the clock on the 1973 War Powers Resolution’s countdown. Under the war powers provision, the administration is required to end hostilities within 60 to 90 days absent congressional approval. "For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began…