House sinks Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s second war powers resolution on Lebanon

Washington — For a second time, the House on Tuesday voted against limiting President Trump’s authority to engage the U.S. military in warfare in Lebanon without congressional authorization. 

The war powers resolution, which was introduced by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, is an updated version of a measure that also failed earlier this month after Democratic leaders came out against it. 

Tuesday’s vote ended with 189 voting in favor and 235 voting in opposition of constraining the president’s authority.

The new version, which had the approval of Democratic leaders, would have directed the president to remove U.S. armed forces “from any hostilities in Lebanon” within seven days of the measure’s adoption. It would not have constrained all military activity, stipulating, “Nothing in this concurrent resolution may be construed to prevent or limit security cooperation with the Lebanese Armed Forces or the protection of diplomatic facilities.” 

The original measure would have directed the president to remove U.S. armed forces “from Lebanon” within seven days of the measure’s adoption. 

“Currently, there are no U.S. service members involved in combat operations or hostilities in Lebanon,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a statement earlier this month explaining the change. 

Tensions in southern Lebanon have threatened a final peace deal between the U.S. and Iran. Iran and Hezbollah have demanded the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the region as part of the deal between Washington and Tehran to end the war. But an agreement signed last week between the Israeli and Lebanese governments to end the fighting in southern Lebanon links Israel’s removal of forces from the area with Hezbollah’s disarmament. Hezbollah, however, has refused to give up its weapons. 

Tlaib said Monday during floor debate that the vote was about “immediately ending all U.S. participation in the Israeli government’s violent assault against the people of Lebanon.” She accused the Israeli government of carrying out an “ethnic cleansing and territory expansion” through its bombing campaign in southern Lebanon. 

Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the updated version “corrected the flaws” of the earlier measure. 

“It will not infringe upon America’s national security interests in Lebanon, while ensuring we stay out of another forever war that is not in our national interest,” he said. “I will state for the record that, to my knowledge, United States forces are not currently engaged in any active hostilities in Lebanon with the Israeli military. Nonetheless, this resolution ensures that does not change without congressional authorization.” 

Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the updated measure is “not quite as ridiculous this time as it was the last time … but still significantly ridiculous.” He called the resolution “a win for terrorists.” 

“Hezbollah is the one holdout that is standing in the way of peace between Israel and Lebanon,” Mast said. “The Lebanese government wants the fighting to stop. Israel wants the fighting to stop. Who is it that wants the fighting to continue? That would be the one entity that is supported by this resolution, and that’s Hezbollah.”