U.S. Senate Says 'Stop the War in Iran'...Checks Trump

[Financial News New York=Lee Byung-chul] The U.S. Congress has openly moved to block President Donald Trump's military action against Iran for the first time. In the Republican-controlled Senate, a War Powers Resolution calling for an end to military operations against Iran passed for the first time in history.
On the 23rd local time, the United States Senate approved the War Powers Resolution, which calls on President Donald Trump to halt military action against Iran, by a vote of 50 to 48. It was the first time since the War Powers Resolution was enacted in 1973 that both chambers of Congress passed a resolution based on the law.
The resolution does not carry full legal force because it does not require the president's signature. Still, it is expected to have significant political repercussions, as even within the Republican Party, which had strongly backed Trump, dissatisfaction with the Iran war and the recently reached U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement has surfaced publicly.
In fact, four Republican senators — Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Rand Paul, and Bill Cassidy — voted in favor along with Democrats. The resolution narrowly cleared the Senate after two Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, who was recently hospitalized for health reasons, were absent.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the Republican Party, saying, "The Senate Republicans have stood with President Donald Trump and his war, not with the American people." He added, "President Trump's historic failure in Iran policy will go down as one of the worst foreign policy decisions in U.S. history."
The backlash within the Republican Party is spreading beyond military action to the ceasefire agreement Trump signed with Iran.
Last week, Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran and agreed to hold final negotiations over the next 60 days to end the nuclear program. However, the $300 billion Iran reconstruction fund included in the deal is drawing intense criticism from hard-line Republicans.
Sen. Ted Cruz said, "President Trump is getting very bad advice on the Iran issue," while some lawmakers made clear their opposition, saying the amount was far too large compared with the $1.7 billion provided by the Obama administration during the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Trump is expected to visit Congress this week to meet with Republican senators and ease internal opposition. Vice President JD Vance is also conducting follow-up talks with Iran in the Middle East and coordinating a final agreement to dismantle the nuclear program.
Internal divisions in the Republican Party are also spilling over into the issue of war costs.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is visiting Congress this week to request an additional $80 billion in defense spending to replenish weapons and ammunition depleted by the Iran war.
The United States Department of Defense said $11.3 billion was spent in the first week of the war alone, and experts estimate the total cost could approach $100 billion.




pride@fnnews.com Lee Byung-chul Reporter