Iran War Powers Resolution ‘Irresponsibly Drafted,’ Rep. Fitzpatrick Says

Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick joined a narrow majority of the U.S. House on Thursday to defeat a war powers resolution.

The resolution sought to curb President Donald Trump’s military authority in the escalating conflict with Iran.

The 212-219 vote fell largely along party lines, with four Democrats voting against the measure and two Republicans joining the Democratic minority in support.

The House vote followed a similar rejection in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. Both of Pennsylvania’s senators also voted against the resolution, while New Jersey’s senators voted for it.

In a statement posted to his website, Fitzpatrick, a Republican who serves on the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, criticized the resolution as “irresponsibly drafted and dangerously overly broad.”

The congressman said the legislation’s sweeping language could have unintended consequences for intelligence and defense operations.

“Its sweeping language could jeopardize decades-long CIA and DoD programs that protect the American people and U.S. service members in the Middle East from attacks carried out by the Iranian regime—the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism—as well as its network of terrorist proxies,” Fitzpatrick said.

Congressman Tom Kean, a Republican who represents Hunterdon County, also voted against the resolution.

Since the U.S. and Israeli-led campaign began last Saturday, more than 1,000 people across the region have died, including Iran’s supreme leader and several government deputies. Six U.S. soldiers were killed following an Iranian aerial attack on a facility in Kuwait.

American forces have increased up their strikes, hitting an increasing number of targets and sinking 20 Iranian ships.

“Iranian targets are being decimated by U.S. forces, paving the way for continued delivery of overwhelming American military firepower,” U.S. Central Command said in a Friday Facebook post.

The violence surged overnight into Friday as Israel conducted heavy airstrikes in Tehran and the Hezbollah-controlled suburbs of Beirut. The strikes followed Israeli evacuation orders ahead of attacks on the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah.

Iran retaliated overnight its own strikes on U.S. bases and civilian, military, and industrial targets in neighboring countries.

As the conflict enters its seventh day, the United Nations and the European Union Commission members called for a diplomatic end to the hostilities, Euro News reported.

President Donald Trump stated he must be “involved” in selecting Iran’s next leader, according to the New York Times.

Asked about the casualties of the war, the president told Time Magazine, “When you go to war, some people will die.”

Under the War Powers Act of 1973, a president must report to Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops. If Congress does not authorize the action or pass related legislation within 60 days of that notice, the president’s authority to use armed forces is terminated.