The one line almost all Democrats in the US Congress refuse to cross – until now – is saying the word ‘impeach’ in relation to Donald Trump.
WASHINGTON, USA – The Republican House of Representatives in the United States on Thursday, April 9, blocked a Democratic effort to end it. US attacks on Iranwhile Donald Trump’s party continues to block efforts to control the military power of the Republican president.
Representative Chris Smith, Republican of New Jersey, presided over a brief “pro forma” session of Congress, ending before a group of Democrats wanted to unanimously pass the resolution, which would have called for a halt to US military operations.
While Thursday’s move was largely symbolic, top Democrats in the House and Senate have vowed to force hard-fought votes again when they return from recess next week.
Congressional Democrats have tried and failed several times in recent months to pass war-authorization resolutions to force Trump to get congressional approval before launching military operations, in Venezuela and Iran.
Trump’s threat earlier this week that “the whole civilization will die” raised concerns among Democrats, many of whom wanted Trump removed from power. The Geneva Conventions of 1949 on the humanitarian conduct of war prohibit attacks on areas considered important to civilians.
“Threatening genocide is not a negotiating tactic,” Representative Sara Jacobs, Democrat of California, told a news conference outside the Capitol after the pro forma session, held because Congress is out of Washington for a two-week Easter recess.
Trump announced he had agreed to a ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran on Tuesday, less than two hours before a deadline for Tehran to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face deadly attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
The White House says Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander in chief to protect the United States by ordering small military operations.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful. The Trump administration has sought to portray the war as a decisive victory, although the top US general said US troops are ready to resume fighting.
Trump’s fellow Republicans have few supporters in the Senate and the House, and have almost unanimously supported all of his policies.
Although the US Constitution says that Congress, not the president, can declare war, that restriction does not apply to short-term operations or if the country is facing an immediate threat.
Back to the charges?
Almost since the start of Trump’s second term on January 20, 2025, Democrats have lashed out at him, accusing him of usurping Congress’s constitutional authority over government spending and imposing tariffs on foreign goods while trying to limit his military activities. Trump has also threatened to annex Greenland and end US membership in NATO.
But one line nearly all Democrats in Congress refused to cross — until now — was uttering the word “impeachment” in relation to Trump.
During Trump’s first presidency, representatives impeached him twice, only to see Senate Republicans acquit him on abuse of power and other charges.
Now, Democrats are raising the question of impeachment and urging the use of the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution to remove Trump from his duties, at least temporarily.
Their fear of voter backlash for another attempt to impeach Trump has lessened since he threatened to attack Iran in the “Stone Age” and wipe out all of Iran’s civilization.
Impeachment “is a constitutional provision to rein in a dishonest, reckless president,” Democratic Representative Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania said at a news conference.
“There is a real list of serious crimes and misdemeanors that he has committed,” he said, referring to impeachment terms that could be tested if Democrats win control of the House in the November election.
Coping with ‘crisis’
Democrats are trying to link their efforts to rein in Trump’s Iran to affordability, as disruptions to oil and natural gas shipments have driven up the price of US gasoline and agricultural products such as fertilizer — on top of a long list of other high consumer prices.
“We spend millions of dollars on Patriot missiles to intercept drones that Iran launches from the back of a truck and it costs ten or twenty thousand dollars, while in our state of Virginia 33,000 citizens have lost their health insurance,” said Democratic Representative James Walkinshaw.
He was referring to Republicans blocking the reimposition of expired federal subsidies that lowered Americans’ “Obamacare” health insurance premiums. – Rappler.com
