HONOLULU (KHON2) — The United States Congress gets back in session today as the vote on a war powers resolution is expected to happen to assert congressional authority to declare war as Iran expanded its targets Tuesday, striking the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia.
“Well, first of all, more, we shouldn’t be questioning which objective it is,” Hawaii Representative Jill Tokuda said. “There needs to be certainty. There needs to be an achievable end goal we are seeking. And one day, the President may say it was about regime change. The next moment, he’s saying he was preempting their ability to have nuclear weapons or build ICBMs, his administration has different answers at different moments.”
Rep. Tokuda is among those expected to vote in favor of the resolution, although even if it makes its way through both chambers of Congress, a two-thirds majority to override a veto is reportedly unlikely.
“I think it’s going to be a very difficult vote for a lot of folks,” Rep. Tokuda said. “I think you’re going to see a few Democrats. We’ve heard already in both the House and the Senate say they will vote against it. You’ve heard Republicans that say they will vote in favor of it on both sides, the House and the Senate. So I think it’s going to be really close, given the extremely razor-thin majority margins that we have in the House. And so I firmly believe they shouldn’t be looking at it as a partisan vote. Look at the Constitution. Remember the oath you take and vote that way. This is of national interest. These are service members’ lives that we’re talking about. These are your constituents. If everyone considers the oath they took, the commitment they have to their constituents, I think it’s clear that they should be voting in favor of this war powers resolution,”
The vote is expected later this week, with Rep. Tokuda telling KHON2 that the House is slated to vote on Thursday.
By: Sam Spangler
Source: KHON 2