A resolution to impeach President Donald Trump following U.S. bombings in Iran quickly failed in the House of Representatives Tuesday.
Members voted to table the resolution, which prevented it from being considered to begin with. The final vote was 344-79. 216 Republicans voted to table the measure, along with 128 Democrats.
Texas Rep. Al Green brought the measure immediately after the U.S. bombed nuclear sites in Iran. It sought to impeach President Trump over an abuse of executive power, accusing him of "unconstitutionally usurping Congress’s power to declare war."
"President Trump’s unilateral, unprovoked use of force without congressional authorization or notice constitutes an abuse of power when there was no imminent threat to the United States," Green wrote.
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In the aftermath of the bombings, some members of Congress have called for debate and a vote on a war powers resolution. Like the impeachment resolution, that measure alleges that the Trump administration's intervention in Iran was unconstitutional. Congress would vote on whether to pass a resolution that would prohibit further U.S. military intervention in the conflict.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said he would oppose such a measure.
“I don’t think this is an appropriate time for a War Powers resolution. And I don’t think it’s necessary,” said Johnson. "This is not a time for politics.”
Meanwhile, members of both chambers of Congress are scheduled to receive a classified briefing on U.S. involvement in Iran this week.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, are slated to deliver the briefing, starting with the Senate on Thursday and the House on Friday.
