HOUSTON – The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to set aside an effort to impeach President Donald Trump on a sole charge of abuse of power after he launched military strikes on Iran without first seeking authorization from Congress.
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Houston Rep. Al Green was the lone Democrat who filed a House resolution calling for President Donald Trump to be impeached amid a rickety ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
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Most Democrats joined the Republican majority to table the measure, for now. But dozens of Democrats backed Green’s effort. The tally was 344-79.
“I take no delight in what I’m doing,” Green said ahead of the vote. “I do this because no one person should have the power to take over 300 million people to war without consulting with the Congress of the United States of America.”
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The effort, while not the first rumblings of action to impeach Trump since he started his second term at the White House in January, further demonstrated the unease many Democrats have with his administration, particularly after the sudden attack on Iran’s nuclear sites, a risky incursion into Middle East affairs.
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Trump’s move also quickly sparked debate in Congress over the president’s authority to launch the strikes, with Republicans praising Trump for decisive action even as many Democrats warned he should have sought congressional approval.
“H.Res. 537 addresses abuse of presidential powers by disregarding the separation of powers, devolving American democracy into an authoritarian government, usurping congressional power to declare war,” Green said on the House floor. “I do this because I love my country. I do it because I understand that the Constitution is going to be meaningful or it will be meaningless."
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“Are we going to go down and choose the path of democracy, or we allow ourselves to choose the low road of autocracy?" Green asked in his conclusion. “I believe this country has come too far to allow a single person to declare war without conferring with the Congress of the United States of America. This is where I stand, this is what I will do, and I do it in the name of my country that I love dearly."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.