Democratic members of Congress from Connecticut continue to push to get President Donald Trump to seek a war declaration from Congress, despite their failure to restrict Trump's war powers in Iran.
His Democratic colleagues should do everything within their power to prevent new legislation from moving forward until Trump presents a war authorization request to Congress, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy said, at a new briefing with fellow U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal and Congressman John Larson in Hartford on Friday.
“We shouldn’t be proceeding to other legislation unless we get a vote brought by the president, by the Republicans on an authorization of war,” Murphy said. “That for now may be a minority opinion, but for now I think it’s that serious.”
If a request is presented, he doubts Congress would authorize the war, he said.
“It’s frankly a lot easier for Republican members of the House and Republican members of the Senate to vote no on a war powers resolution than it is for them to vote yes on an open-ended war in the Middle East,” Murphy said.
And if the war continues, the president will have to come to Congress for additional funding, which would also need Democratic votes, said the senator.
“That is a way that Congress can draw a line in the sand. They will need Democratic votes in order to fund this war,” he said.
Murphy believes the ultimate backstop will be the vote of the American people in the midterm elections in November.
