Scoop: Democrats eye new strategy after Iran war powers fail
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A group of House Democrats is discussing plans to force a vote on an Iran war powers resolution every day until one finally passes or U.S. operations in the region end, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: It's the kind of showy flood-the-zone tactic that the Democratic grassroots is constantly trying to get the party's lawmakers to pursue in resisting the Trump administration.
- It's not clear if House Democratic leadership will get behind the tactic, but even some centrists aren't immediately dismissing the proposal.
- "I'd welcome it," Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.), who represents battleground-district members in leadership, told Axios.
- "I've voted for it twice," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.). "I'll vote for it as many times as we need."
Driving the news: The idea was raised at a Congressional Progressive Caucus lunch Thursday, multiple sources familiar with the matter told Axios.
- One member floated introducing enough war powers resolutions to force a vote every day that the House is in session, which was positively received, the sources said.
- It's not a "finalized plan," one source told Axios on the condition of anonymity to share details of private conversations.
- But members "were interested in it," and it is "more than just one person talking," the source said.
State of play: The lunch came just after House Democrats narrowly failed to advance a war powers resolution forced to a vote by House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.).
- The Thursday morning vote failed 213 to 214, with Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) siding with Republicans in voting against the measure and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) voting with Democrats to move it forward.
- Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), who supported the resolution last month, voted "present," while Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) didn't vote.
What we're hearing: "A number of us are talking about [how] we need to get to a strategy where we're introducing a war powers resolution pretty much every day, one Progressive Caucus member told Axios.
- The lawmaker noted that war powers resolutions take up to 18 days to ripen, saying this strategy would involve "constantly moving them to the line to get them to be able to come to the floor."
- Though the votes may be continually unsuccessful, the lawmaker noted it would continue to put Republicans on the record on the war and its second- and third-order effects, such as rising gas prices.
