Kaine limits Trump’s military actions against Iran

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 08: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks to the media after attending a briefing with administration officials about the situation with Iran, at the U.S. Capitol on January 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. Members of the House and the Senate were briefed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley, CIA Director Gina Haspel and Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire. In response to the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, Iranian forces launched more than a dozen ballistic missiles against two military bases in Iraq early Wednesday local time. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Sen. Tim Kaine has secured enough Republican votes to pass a revised version of his resolution to curb President Donald Trump’s military efforts in Iran.

Kaine said Tuesday the new resolution now has support from Republican Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Susan Collins of Maine, giving him the four GOP votes he needs for it to pass. Republicans Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Rand Paul of Kentucky also back it.

“[I] expect to vote for — if offered the opportunity — the amended Kaine resolution,” Young said earlier Tuesday, emphasizing that he did not support the initial draft. “It’s important that Congress at this time affirm our Article I responsibilities, so long as we don’t undermine the president’s Article II responsibilities, that’s all the Kaine resolution says.”

Collins on Tuesday said Congress can’t be sidelined on important decisions.

“The Kaine resolution would continue to allow the President to respond to emergencies created by aggression from any hostile nation, including Iran, and to repel an imminent attack by Iran or its proxy forces,” she said in a statement. “It simply makes clear that only the Legislative Branch may declare war or commit our armed forces to a sustained military conflict with Iran.”

Lee and Paul said last week they would also back Kaine’s resolution after some changes to its language. Lee announced his support after top Trump administration officials briefed lawmakers about the killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, which the Utah Republican described as “the worst” he’d seen on a military issue in his nine years in the Senate.

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