Herrera Beutler votes against war powers resolution

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Battle Ground, voted against a resolution Thursday that would force President Donald Trump to obtain approval from Congress before taking further military action in Iran.

The resolution passed the Democrat-majority chamber. It was a rebuke of Trump’s decision to order a drone strike against a top Iranian general and escalate tensions between the two countries without notifying Congress.

In a message posted to her Facebook page, Herrera Beutler wrote that the Iranian official killed in the strike, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, was responsible for American deaths.

“I would have expected any commander in chief, regardless of party, to take this strategic opportunity to rid the world of one of its most deadly terrorists,” Herrera Beutler said. “Given the current state of de-escalation there is no need for us to now embolden Iran by holding a public show of division within our government.”

In an earlier statement, Herrera Beutler had urged her colleagues to “proceed with care to keep U.S. troops from being involved in another prolonged conflict in the Middle East.”

The vote on the War Powers Resolution was 224 to 194, almost entirely along party lines.

Carolyn Long, who’s among the Democrats challenging Herrera Beutler for her seat in 2020, released her own statement ahead of Thursday’s vote pushing the congresswoman to assert her constitutional authority and “prevent an administration from leading us into war under false pretenses or bad information.”

“I urge Rep. Herrera Beutler to do the right thing for our country and our national security and vote to comply with the War Powers Act to prevent such an occurrence, rather than bowing to party loyalty, and falling in line with an administration whose recklessness risks making us less safe,” Long said.