After President Donald Trump launched a war on Iran over the weekend without congressional authorization, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick issued a 266-word statement on Feb. 28 in response. Despite it being 266 words, he couldn’t find a few words to include that would let his constituents know whether he supports the administration’s military actions, or opposes them.
Unfortunately for Fitzpatrick, he does actually have to vote on bills and resolutions.
Fitzpatrick voted on Thursday to reject a bipartisan War Powers Resolution sponsored by Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie and California Democrat Ro Khanna, which failed 212-219. This vote makes it clear that Fitzpatrick not only supports Trump’s war, but that he also believes that the president should conduct future attacks without any congressional oversight or accountability.
Fitzpatrick issued a statement afterward boasting his experience serving “in several Middle-East war zones as an Al-Qaeda Interrogator” during President George W. Bush’s war on Iraq and claiming he voted against it because it was a “poorly worded and overly-broad resolution.”
The Senate also failed to pass a similar resolution Wednesday with Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senator John Fetterman joining Republicans to block it.
“Donald Trump is not a king, and if he believes the war with Iran is in our national interest, then he must come to Congress and make the case,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Fitzpatrick apparently doesn’t agree.
“Brian Fitzpatrick has given Donald Trump a blank check to spend our tax dollars and risk American lives in another war, and working families in Bucks and Montgomery counties are paying the price,” said Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie, a Democratic congressional candidate looking to unseat Fitzpatrick in November. “Congress must reassert its constitutional authority. America’s sons and daughters, husbands and wives are being put into harm’s way with no clear plan. We must make clear that no president can drag our country into war without accountability.”
Harvie is right.
Fitzpatrick doesn’t even believe that he should exercise his authority and responsibility granted in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution that exclusively grants Congress the power “to declare war.”
This begs the question: Why is Fitzpatrick in Congress when he doesn’t want to fulfill his congressional duties and represent his constituents in Pennsylvania’s first congressional district?
After launching a surprise attack against Iran on Saturday, Trump has scrambled to win support for a conflict that Americans of all political persuasions were already wary of entering. Six U.S. military members were killed over the weekend in a drone strike in Kuwait, and Trump has said more Americans could die. Thousands of Americans abroad have scrambled for flights, many lighting up the phone lines at congressional offices as they sought help trying to flee the Middle East.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the war could extend eight weeks, twice as long as the president first estimated. Trump has left open the possibility of sending U.S. troops into what has largely been a bombing campaign by air. Close to a thousand people in the region have been killed as a result of U.S. and Israeli military strikes.
And there is absolutely no evidence that Iran posed in imminent threat to the United States.
“This administration can’t even give us a straight answer of as to why we launched this preemptive war,” said Congressman Massie.
Bucks County Democrat Harvie also said it’s irresponsible to be spending money abroad in an unnecessary war of choice while so many people in Pennsylvania and across the country are struggling to make ends meet.
“Gas prices have jumped more than 30 cents per gallon this week alone,” said Harvie. “Instead of funding another chaotic, unchecked conflict overseas, we should be investing tax dollars here at home expanding affordable health care, strengthening public education, lowering childcare costs, and bringing down everyday expenses like electricity and gas.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting to this article.
