Strike tests Congress’ war powers

WASHINGTON — Speaker Nancy Pelosi will hold House votes this week to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to engage Iran militarily after the surprise U.S. airstrike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani. A Senate vote is expected to soon follow.

Ahead of the attack that killed the Iranian general, the president did not consult with congressional leaders. In the aftermath, he refused to make public his justification for the airstrikes.

Republicans have largely supported Trump’s actions, saying the president was well within his power to take out Iran’s architect of proxy operations against Americans in the Middle East. The U.S. considered Soleimani a terrorist.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday there’s plenty of time for lawmakers to learn more about the president’s reasoning for the attack. He complained that Democrats “rushed to blame our own government before even knowing the facts, rushed to downplay Soleimani’s evil while presenting our own president as the villain.”

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday, “It is essential for Congress to put a check on this president.’”

On Monday, Schumer and Sen. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on Trump to declassify “in full” his notification to Congress over the weekend justifying the strikes.

Under the War Powers Act, the White House has 48 hours to notify Congress of such actions. Pelosi said it was “highly unusual” for the information to be entirely classified and is demanding a full briefing for Congress.