Rep. Fitzpatrick Breaks Ranks On Iran War Vote, Opponents Speak Up

The House of Representatives last Thursday narrowly rejected a war powers resolution that would have forced President Donald Trump to obtain congressional authorization to continue the military conflict with Iran.

The measure, which was introduced by Democratic New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer, failed to pass after a tied 212–212 vote.

Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick was among three Republicans who joined the Democratic majority in supporting the resolution. Congressman Jared Golden, of Maine, was the lone Democrat to vote against the measure.

The House vote followed a similar legislative failure in the Senate on Wednesday where a war powers effort fell short in a 49–50 vote. Both of Pennsylvania’s senators, Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Dave McCormick, voted against that measure.

The vote down in both chambers came amid the war led by the United States and Israel that began Feb. 28.

Trump has maintained that the conflict is over as talks have taken place in recent weeks.

Iranian drone strikes targeted other Middle Eastern nations in recent days, and the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global trade corridor, remains closed to most shipping traffic.

The political fallout from the war and its impacts continues to reverberate in the U.S. during a key midterm election year. Consumers have seen gas prices rise and inflation increase.

“The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump said, according to NBC News. “I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”

Casey-Lee Waldron, a spokesperson for Fitzpatrick, did not comment on the congressman’s vote and did not respond to a request for an interview with the elected official.

Fitzpatrick previously voted against two War Powers Act resolutions.

WHYY News reported in April that the congressman said one was “irresponsibly drafted and dangerously overbroad.”

Fitzpatrick’s latest vote drew criticism from local political opponents.

“Brian Fitzpatrick voted not once, but twice in favor of Donald Trump’s war in Iran,” said Bob Harvie, a Democratic Bucks County commissioner running for Congress. “Now he will feed you lies that he is trying to stop it. But Brian can’t hide from the truth: he is responsible for this war, and every time you pay more for gas, it’s his fault.”

Lucia Simonelli, another Democrat campaigning for the congressional seat, stated that Fitzpatrick’s vote came too late to ease financial anxieties.

“Rep. Fitzpatrick finally decided to uphold his constitutional duties as a Congressman and voted to rein in Trump’s indefensible and reckless attacks on Iran,” Simonelli said. “But the harm has been done: Fitzpatrick voted against holding Trump accountable twice in the last two months, allowing him to hold our economy hostage.”

Simonelli said the global energy and agricultural markets are facing a looming crisis, adding that “working people in PA-01 were already struggling to afford basic necessities before Trump’s attack on Iran.”

A Reuters/Ipsos poll from last week showed that the majority of Americans do not believe the president has made the case for war with Iran. More than 60 percent of those polled stated their finances have taken a hit due to the conflict.