Congress forgoes Iran war restrictions to save anti-Assad bill
In order to assure passage of a long-stalled Syria sanctions bill, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted down legislation restricting President Donald Trump’s ability to attack Iran.
The Senate has struggled to pass a long-stalled Syria sanctions bill since 2016, even as the House has unanimously passed the largely noncontroversial legislation several times.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee finally advanced the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act by a 20-2 vote today. But first, lawmakers had to vote down an amendment barring the Donald Trump administration from attacking Iran.
The committee voted 13-9 against an amendment from Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., that would have barred funding “for kinetic military operations in or against Iran except pursuant to an act or joint resolution of Congress specifically authorizing such use.”
“We want to prevent a war that Congress does not authorize,” Udall said ahead of the vote.
