Gottheimer preps new vote on resolution to end Iran War

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly), who has long taken a harder line against the Iranian regime than almost any of his Democratic colleagues in Congress, is nevertheless leading his party’s latest effort to bring the ongoing Iran War to a close.

A Gottheimer-authored war powers resolution, which directs President Donald Trump to end U.S. involvement in Iran within 30 days unless authorized by Congress, was originally scheduled to come up for a vote last night, but was delayed. The vote could come instead later this week, or be pushed back into May after next week’s recess; this Friday will mark 60 days since the war officially began, a key deadline under the War Powers Act and a line in the sand for some Republicans.

The vast majority of House Republicans opposed the two prior war powers resolutions that came up for a vote – and Trump would likely veto any resolution that made his desk – but Gottheimer expressed some optimism that GOP opinions may be starting to change.

“I’ve had a lot of conversations [with Republicans]. I think there’s some interest,” Gottheimer said. “I think there’s a lot of concern with Republicans that I’ve spoken to about the timeline here and the lack of a full-throated briefing.”

When the U.S. and Israel first began strikes on Iran in February, Gottheimer struck a more positive tone than most Democrats, noting the importance for transparency but calling the attacks a “decisive action to defend our national security, fight terror, protect our allies, and stand with the Iranian people.” The congressman was publicly conflicted about whether to support an initial war powers resolution right up until the vote, when he joined all but four of his fellow Democrats in supporting it.

Gottheimer’s opinion on the importance of defeating Iran has not changed since then, he told the New Jersey Globe today: “The government there should be crushed.” But with the conflict about to enter its third month, he said Congress has a right to more information and involvement than it’s gotten.

“As I’ve said all along, I have concerns with the fact that this administration has not been forthright with Congress and the American people, briefing us on progress in the conflict, on strategy, on where we are. And that continues to be the case,” he said. “Congress, as per the Constitution, must be involved and briefed properly.”

Every other Democrat in the New Jersey House delegation has similarly voted in favor of ending the war, although like Gottheimer, Rep. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) initially expressed some hesitancy to do so. New Jersey’s Republican congressmen have opposed the war powers efforts every time they’ve come up; one of them, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-Westfield), began an extended medical absence shortly after the conflict started.

Over in the Senate, Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim have teamed up with ten of their fellow Democratic senators and embraced the strategy of forcing continuous war powers votes as long as the conflict remains ongoing, and some House Democrats are weighing a similar approach. (Unlike most other bills, the minority party has the ability to force votes on war powers resolutions even if congressional leadership opposes them.)

“I know that the more we do this, the more that Republicans in the Senate are frustrated that they have to vote,” Kim said earlier this month, after a fourth war powers resolution failed. “They’re feeling the pressure, and the pressure is going. They would like nothing more than for this to go off of the front page news.”