MS Host Reminds House Democrat Vote to Rein in Trump ‘War Powers’ Has Already Failed 6 Times

MS NOW’s Ana Cabrera pressed Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) on the practicality of her push for yet another vote on President Donald Trump’s “war powers” on Thursday.

Goodlander, a former Navy officer, joined Cabrera on Thursday morning and Cabrera wrapped up the interview by bringing up Goodlander’s call for lawmakers to “immediately” return to Washington, D.C. and vote on reining in the president’s war powers in regards to Iran.

Cabrera reminded Goodlander that there have been six similar votes across both the Senate and the House and all of them have failed. Some of these “war powers” votes have been in reference to Iran, while others relate to the U.S. taking former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro out of his country and bringing him to the U.S. to face narco-terrorism charges.

“You have called for lawmakers to return to Washington immediately to vote for another war powers resolution on Iran. We’ve already seen six failed attempts in recent weeks across both chambers, starting with Venezuela in addition to Iran. Again, six votes, none have passed. Why should Americans expect this time to be different?” Cabrera asked Goodlander.

“The Speaker of the House has only allowed the House of Representatives to be in session and do the people’s work for 33 days in this entire calendar year. That should concern every American who believes that they deserve, which is what they do deserve under our Constitution, a Congress that’s going to do its job,” Goodlander said, adding that constituents are expressing concerns about the ongoing conflict, especially when it comes to gas prices rising.

Cabrera reminded Goodlander the resolution is still likely to go nowhere without significant Republican support, but Goodlander remained optimistic, making a call for her Republican colleagues to listen more to voter complaints about the war.

Check out the exchange below:

ANA CABRERA: And so you have called for lawmakers to return to Washington immediately to vote for another war powers resolution on Iran. We’ve already seen six failed attempts in recent weeks across both chambers, starting with Venezuela in addition to Iran. Again, six votes, none have passed. Why should Americans expect this time to be different?

MAGGIE GOODLANDER: Well, we’re 40 days into this war. The Speaker of the House has only allowed the House of Representatives to be in session and do the people’s work for 33 days in this entire calendar year. That should concern every American who believes that they deserve, which is what they do deserve under our Constitution, a Congress that’s going to do its job. As I’ve been here all across the state of New Hampshire, I’m hearing what I know my colleagues around the country are hearing too, which are people who are feeling the pain of this war at the gas pump. They’re feeling it at the grocery store. They’re feeling it at the pharmacy. We’re in the middle of an affordability crisis that is standing in between hardworking people and the American dream. And this war has upped costs for people across the board. And it’s, I fear, only going to continue to do so, which is why reopening the Strait of Hormuz and getting a grip and getting us back out of this crisis of the president’s own creation is such a high priority.

CABRERA: Well, you made it clear where you stand and where Democrats stand, but it doesn’t sound like you have the Republican support that would be required to really enforce the war powers resolution to hold this administration accountable in the way that you are suggesting is needed.

GOODLANDER: Well, what I’d say is here in New Hampshire, I’m hearing — and what I hope I will hear from my colleagues in Congress — which is that they did not vote for this war of choice. They did not vote for a president to launch the war. That’s hugely costly in American lives and in taxpayer dollars to threaten to end a civilization. This is not what any person of good faith signed up for or voted for. And if they are representing their constituents, they will vote with us and do their duty under our Constitution.

Watch above via MS NOW.

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