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Stock market today: S&P 500, Dow notch fresh records as Wall Street shrugs off Trump’s tariff threat

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Stock market today: S&P 500, Dow notch fresh records as Wall Street shrugs off Trump’s tariff threat

US stocks on Tuesday shrugged off President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico, with two major indexes securing fresh records.

The S&P 500 (^GSPC) rose nearly 0.6% to nab a record close, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) also jumped about 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) reversed earlier losses to finish the day up around 0.3% as it reclaimed another back-to-back record.

The index had been under pressure for most of the day after drugmaker Amgen (AMGN) tumbled as much as 12% on weight-loss data that failed to impress Wall Street. Shares pared losses by the end of the trading session, closing down around 5%.

Markets were initially caught off guard by Trump’s pledge late Monday to slap big tariffs on the US’s biggest trading partners on his first day in office. His comments fired up trade war fears and dented Wall Street’s hopes that Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent would rein in any extreme moves by the new administration.

Carmaker stocks, both domestic and abroad, fell on the heels of Trump’s “America First” push. Nissan (7201.T) and Honda Motor (HMC), which have auto plants in Mexico, came under pressure, along with Ford (F), General Motors (GM), and Stellantis (STLA).

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Outside of possible tariffs, investors also digested the release of the minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee meeting ended Nov. 7, which showed officials prefer a gradual pace of interest rate cuts if the economy remains on solid footing.

“Participants anticipated that if the data came in about as expected, with inflation continuing to move down sustainably to 2% and the economy remaining near maximum employment, it would likely be appropriate to move gradually toward a more neutral stance of policy over time,” the minutes read.

Some officials noted that a resurgence of inflation, which has remained sticky, along with a downturn in the labor market, could force the central bank to pause its easing cycle.

The release sets the stage for the October reading of the Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, on Wednesday.

LIVE 13 updates
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  • Dow, S&P 500 secure fresh records

    It was another record-setting day on Wall Street as investors shrugged off President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose new tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico.

    Both the S&P 500 (^GSPC) and Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) each secured record closing highs, with all three major indexes finishing the session in the green.

    The benchmark S&P 500 rose nearly 0.6%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) also jumped about 0.6%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) reversed earlier losses to finish the day up around 0.3%.

  •  Josh Schafer

    Americans are feeling better about the labor market

    After several months of downbeat data to end the summer had workers feeling sour about the prospect of finding a new job, consumers feelings about the labor market may be rounding a corner.

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    On Tuesday, fresh data from the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence survey for the month showed the difference between respondents who believe jobs are “plentiful” and those saying jobs are “hard to get” ticked up for the second-straight month. The metric, known as the labor market differential, ticked up to a reading of 18.2% in November, up from the cycle low of 12.7% seen in September.

    “This slightly improved read on the jobs market is certainly boosting confidence and if it weren’t an election year, it would be the sole focus of consumers,” Wells Fargo senior economist Tim Quinlan wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday.

    Overall, the upbeat labor market outlooked helped propel consumer confidence to a reading of 111.7 in November, above the 109.6 seen in October and the highest level in more than a year.

    “November’s increase was mainly driven by more positive consumer assessments of the present situation, particularly regarding the labor market,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board. “Compared to October, consumers were also substantially more optimistic about future job availability, which reached its highest level in almost three years.”

  •  Josh Schafer

    Fed officials see gradual interest rate cuts with a pause possible if ‘inflation remained elevated’

    Minutes from the Federal Reserve’s November meeting released on Tuesday showed officials prefer a “gradual” interest rate cutting cycle if the economy continues on it’s current trajectory.

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    “Participants anticipated that if the data came in about as expected, with inflation continuing to move down sustainably to 2 percent and the economy remaining near maximum employment, it would likely be appropriate to move gradually toward a more neutral stance of policy over time,” the minutes read.

    But recent sticky inflation prints have caught officials’ attention. In a recent speech, Fed Governor Michelle Bowman highlighted that in the past few months, when measures of inflation excluding gas and autos have largely moved sideways, the Fed’s progress toward its 2% goal has “stalled.” Should that trend continue, the central bank may opt to pause interest rate cuts.

    “Some participants noted that the Committee could pause its easing of the policy rate and hold it at a restrictive level if inflation remained elevated, and some remarked that policy easing could be accelerated if the labor market turned down or economic activity faltered,” the minutes read.

  • Alexandra Canal

    Rivian stock climbs on $6.6 billion loan

    Rivian stock (RIVN) is jumping, rising over 4% in afternoon trade.

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    Yahoo Finance’s Pras Subramanian tells us why:

    Late Monday, Rivian said it won a “conditional commitment” from the Department of Energy (DOE) for a $6.6 billion loan, highlighting the company’s improving capital condition.

    The loan, part of the DOE’s Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) program, would support the construction of Rivian’s upcoming assembly plant located outside of Atlanta.

    Rivian paused development of the site back in March due to concerns about its capital position. At the time, Rivian said building its upcoming R2 vehicles at its existing Normal, Ill., plant instead would save the company over $2 billion in costs.

    If finalized, the new DOE loan would restart Rivan’s plans to develop the Georgia assembly plant.

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    “This loan would enable Rivian to more aggressively scale our US manufacturing footprint for our competitively priced R2 and R3 vehicles that emphasize both capability and affordability,” CEO RJ Scaringe said in a statement. “A robust ecosystem of US companies developing and manufacturing EVs is critical for the US to maintain its long-term leadership in transportation.”

    Read more here.

  • Alexandra Canal

    Bitcoin retreats in push to $100,000

    Bitcoin prices (BTC-USD) retreated about 2% on Tuesday as the cryptocurrency’s bid to reach the $100,000 milestone lost steam.

    The largest digital currency, which posted its longest losing streak since Trump’s election win, traded just around $92,500 per token in early afternoon trade.

    Trump’s win pushed bitcoin prices to all-time highs in the immediate aftermath of the election, with the administration viewed as generally more friendly to the alternative asset class.

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    In July, Trump attended a bitcoin conference in Nashville and has since pledged to usher in more supportive regulation. His promises also include appointing a crypto Presidential Advisory Council and firing current SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

    But markets are now weighing new promises from the President-elect, which include possible tariffs on all Mexican and Canadian imports. That could lead to more risk-aversion sentiment on Wall Street.

    Other crypto-adjacent names mimicked bitcoin’s moves to the downside.

    Shares of MicroStrategy (MSTR), which owns nearly 280,000 bitcoins, dropped around 3%. Last week, the company announced the purchase of an additional 51,780 bitcoins for $4.6 billion. The company now holds $16.5 billion worth of bitcoin.

    Coinbase (COIN), which allows crypto trading on its platform, saw shares fall roughly 2%.

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  • Alexandra Canal

    Amgen drags Dow lower after weight loss drug data fails to impress

    Amgen (AMGN) was the biggest laggard in the Dow on Tuesday, falling as much as 12% after its weight loss drug met Wall Street expectations but was only on par with competitors like Eli Lilly (LLY).

    Yahoo Finance’s Anjalee Khemlani reports:

    The company reported 20% weight loss from the drug MariTide in patients after 52 weeks in a phase II study. By comparison, current market leaders Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) have products that provide weight loss between 14% and 24%. Analysts on an investor call with Amgen Tuesday morning characterized the data as “in line” with the currently available products.

    Mizuho’s healthcare sector expert Jared Holz said, on the surface, the data would draw more interest, but because Amgen is late to the weight-loss market — with a phase III trial still needed — it is at a disadvantage.

    In addition, “AMGN did not disclose which dose it plans to move forward, but would guess that the higher doses are driving better weight loss so need to consider how the side effect profile looks in these specific formulations,” Holz wrote in a note to clients.

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    Read more here.

  • Alexandra Canal

    Mexico, Canada respond to Trump’s tariff threats

    Mexico will retaliate if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his recent tariff threats, the country’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

    Late on Monday, Trump said in a post to his Truth Social account that he plans to enact a 25% tariff on all Mexican and Canadian imports. He said the levies would remain in effect until those countries address illegal immigration to the US and drug trafficking.

    Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that tariffs would lead to increased job losses and inflation. “To one tariff will come another and so on, until we put our common businesses at risk,” she told reporters in a briefing.

    The companies most exposed to the tariffs include automakers with plants in Mexico, such as Nissan, Honda Motor (HMC), Ford (FORD), Stellantis (STLA), and General Motors (GM), among others.

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    “Why impose a tax that puts them at risk?” Sheinbaum asked. “It’s not acceptable.”

    The Mexican leader said she plans to send a letter to Trump, urging for more dialogue and collaboration between the two countries.

    Meanwhile, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday morning that he’s agreed to meet with his provincial and territorial counterparts this week to discuss US-Canada relations.

    “This is a relationship that we know takes a certain amount of working on,” Trudeau said. “And that’s what we’ll do.”

  • Dani Romero

    New home sales slump to lowest level in almost two years

    Sales of new single-family homes plummeted in October to the lowest level in about two years as mortgage rates remained elevated during the month.

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    New home sales dropped 17.3% in October to a seasonally adjusted rate of 610,000 units, down from September’s revised rate of 738,000, according to Census Bureau data released on Tuesday. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg had expected a pace of 725,000.

    The median sales price of new houses sold was $437,300, up from $426,300 the previous month.

    Mortgage rates marched higher during the month of October, discouraging buyers from purchasing a new home.

    Builders have adapted accordingly. DR Horton (DHI) CEO Paul Romanowski told investors and analysts on the homebuilder’s fourth quarter earnings call in late October that the company’s executives “expect incentives will have to remain elevated in order to maintain affordability and monthly payments that our buyers are looking for.”

  •  Josh Schafer

    Consumer confidence rises to highest level since July 2023

    American consumers continue to feel more upbeat about the outlook for the US economy.

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    The latest US consumer confidence index reading from the Conference Board was 111.7, above the 109.6 seen in October and the highest level in more than a year. The expectations index, which is based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions, ticked up 0.4 points to 92.3, significantly above the threshold of 80 that typically signals recession ahead.

    Less than 64% of respondents said they believe a US recession is “somewhat” or “very likely” in the next 12 months, marking the lowest number of consumers fearing an incoming recession since the Conference Board began asking the question in July 2022.

    “November’s increase was mainly driven by more positive consumer assessments of the present situation, particularly regarding the labor market,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board. “Compared to October, consumers were also substantially more optimistic about future job availability, which reached its highest level in almost three years.”

    In November, 33.4% of consumers said jobs were “plentiful,” down from the 34.1% seen in October. But the number of respondents saying jobs were “hard to get” also fell to 15.2% from 17.6% seen the month prior.

  • Alexandra Canal

    Stocks open mixed

    US stocks opened mixed to kick off Tuesday’s trading session, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (^DJI) dropping 0.3% after the index notched its latest record.

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    The S&P 500 (^GSPC) inched up roughly 0.3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC) jumped about 0.4% as investors weighed the latest tariff threat from President-elect Donald Trump.

  • Dani Romero

    Home price growth slowed in September

    US home prices rose in September, but the pace of price increases moderated on an annual basis.

    The S&P Case-Shiller National Home Price Index increased 3.9% from a year ago, a smaller increase from the 4.2% annual gain seen in August.

    Prices rose 0.3% over the prior month in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, unchanged from August’s monthly increase.

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    The index tracking home prices in the 20 largest metropolitan areas gained 0.2% in September from August, lower than a Bloomberg consensus estimate of 0.3% and August’’s 0.4%. The 20-city index jumped 4.6% compared to last September. August’s annual gain was 5.2%.

    “Home price growth stalled in the third quarter, after a steady start to 2024,” Brian Luke, head of commodities, real & digital assets at S&P Dow Jones Indices, wrote in a press release. “The slight downtick could be attributed to technical factors as the seasonally adjusted figures boasted a 16th consecutive all-time high.”

  • Jenny McCall

    Good morning. Here’s what’s happening today.

    Economic data: S&P CoreLogic 20-city (August); New home sales (October); Conference Board Consumer Confidence (November); Richmond Fed manufacturing index (November), FOMC Meeting Minutes (November meeting)

    Earnings: Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), Autodesk (ADSK), Best Buy (BBY), Burlington Stores (BURL), CrowdStrike (CRWD), Dell (DELL), HP (HPQ), Kohl’s (KSS), Manchester United (MANU), Urban Outfitters (URBN), Workday (WDAY)

    Here are some of the biggest stories you may have missed overnight and early this morning:

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    Wall Street still hasn’t got a handle on Trump

    US finalizes $7.86B chips manufacturing award for Intel

    Trump pledges 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, 35% on China

    How a breakup could upend Google (and the tech world)

    Best Buy stock sinks after broad earnings miss

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    Bitcoin retreats from $100K in worst spell since Trump’s win

    4 ways Bessent’s honeymoon as Trump’s Treasury pick could end

  • Brian Sozzi

    Flash analysis: Another ugly quarter from Best Buy

    Looking for some pre-holiday cheer? Well, you won’t find any in the earnings out of Best Buy (BBY) this morning.

    A couple of things stood out:

    I can’t say the report is surprising, given the discretionary category weakness we have seen in earnings reports this month from Walmart (WMT), Target (TGT), Home Depot (HD), and Lowe’s (LOW). But the declines for Best Buy suggest it will have a slog of a holiday season.

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    Yahoo Finance senior reporter Brooke DiPalma will have coverage on Best Buy throughout the morning, so stay plugged in here. Yahoo Finance will also be serving up live analysis out of the gate at 9 a.m. ET today — which you can catch here.

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National Guard has done little to reduce violent crime in D.C., a new study finds

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National Guard has done little to reduce violent crime in D.C., a new study finds

National Guard members stand watch near the Lincoln Memorial on the morning of Memorial Day in Washington, DC, May 25, 2026.

Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images


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Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. has reduced petty property crimes, but has had little to no effect on violent crime, despite the high cost to taxpayers, according to a new analysis from the nonpartisan think tank Niskanen Center.

The study’s findings were published just weeks after federal officials announced that the number of troops in D.C. is set to double this summer to 5,000 as part of a “summer surge” of law enforcement ahead of events planned for America’s 250th birthday celebration.

Trump deployed the National Guard to D.C. last August, as part of the administration’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force, which he said was an effort to reduce crime and beautify the city. The task force includes hundreds of federal law enforcement — including immigration enforcement — working in conjunction with local police. It’s an approach that Trump previously said he wants to carry out in “many cities,” and already has in places like Memphis and New Orleans.

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There are currently around 2,800 National Guard members deployed to D.C. from both the city itself and about a dozen other states, all of which have Republican governors. In contrast to other controversial National Guard deployments by Trump during his second term, the president has the authority over the Guard in D.C.

Guard members do not legally have the power to carry out arrests, but can detain individuals.

Troops — many of whom are armed — are largely carrying out what are called “high visibility patrols” to make their presence known around federal property and in residential areas, parks and city metro stations in an effort to free up D.C. police to redeploy to higher-crime areas. The report found that generally hasn’t happened.

Instead, researchers found that the deployment led to a 24% drop in “opportunistic” crimes — like property crimes and vehicle break-ins. But the presence of the Guard had no effect on violent crimes, including robberies, which were already on a downward trend before Trump came back into office.

“What the Guard brought was a massive, sudden shock from the visible presence of uniformed military personnel on the streets of Washington almost overnight,” researchers wrote, calling the deployment of the Guard a “blunt and expensive instrument.”

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A recent assessment by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that it costs the federal government around $1.5 million per day for the current number of troops deployed to D.C.

“I think on balance the National Guard’s deployment is not a failure, there is success in what they’ve done. But I guess the point that we try to make is: compared to what?” says Richard Hahn, one of the authors of the study. “You could get the same or better outcomes, possibly much better outcomes, for much cheaper, if you just were very thoughtful about policing.”

In response to NPR’s request for comment about the study, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said that it “should not be taken seriously.”

“The President’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force and National Guard presence have driven down crime, beautified the city, and improved quality of life for countless individuals,” Jackson said, without providing any evidence.

It’s unclear when the planned “summer surge” would end, or if the number of National Guard troops in the city would return to their current levels in the fall.

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“Our message today is that we’re not done. We are not satisfied. We are not content with good. We are coming for perfection, and we won’t be done until we reclaim every last inch of ground on anyone seeking to do harm in our nation’s capital,” Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald said when announcing the surge.

NPR reached out to task force officials behind the Guard deployment for clarity on when the surge might start or end, but did not receive an immediate response.

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How Each House Member Voted on the Iran War Powers Resolution

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How Each House Member Voted on the Iran War Powers Resolution

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Measure passed with 215 “yes” votes to 208 “no” votes.
Vote Total Democrats Republicans Bar chart of total votes
215 211 4
208 0 208

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Note: Representative Kevin Kiley of California is an independent who caucuses with the Republicans.

The House on Wednesday passed a measure to direct President Trump withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win congressional approval to continue military operations there. The vote was the fourth of its kind in the chamber since the war began, the previous three having failed.

A vote on this measure was originally scheduled for last month but was pulled by House Republican leaders after it became clear they lacked the votes at the time to defeat it because of several members’ absences. Several Republicans were also absent on Wednesday, but party leaders were unable to delay the vote any longer.

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Votes fell mostly along party lines, with the exception of four Republicans, who voted with Democrats to pass the measure. Representative Jared Golden, Democrat of Maine, who had previously voted with Republicans, flipped and voted with his party.

Republicans who voted against their party

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The House vote came after four Senate Republicans last month broke from their party to advance a measure to assert the legislature’s role in authorizing the war. The Senate had rejected seven other similar measures, but Republicans in both chambers have expressed increased uneasiness with the conflict as it wears on.

Even if a war powers resolution passed in both the House and Senate, it would be subject to an all-but-certain veto by Mr. Trump, which would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override. Beyond that, the president and his senior aides have frequently dismissed efforts by Congress to rein in his war powers, saying they are unconstitutional.

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How Every Member Voted

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House votes to rein in Trump on Iran as war loses GOP support

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House votes to rein in Trump on Iran as war loses GOP support

Washington — The House on Wednesday passed a measure that would force President Trump to end the war with Iran without congressional authorization, marking the first time the lower chamber has defied the White House on the conflict. 

The House voted 215 to 208 to approve the war powers resolution with the help of four Republicans. Democratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, who has voted against the three previous failed attempts, also dropped his opposition and voted for the measure, giving his party unanimity on the issue.

Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Warren Davidson of Ohio voted with Democrats in favor of the measure.

Democrats in the chamber erupted in applause after passage.

The vote was supposed to take place before lawmakers left for the Memorial Day recess, but House GOP leaders abruptly pulled the vote when it became clear they did not have the numbers to block it. Several Republicans were absent and others were expected to support it. 

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The Senate advanced a similar measure in May to rein in Mr. Trump on Iran after four Republicans joined all but one Democrat to push it forward. Three Republican absences also helped deliver the breakthrough after seven previous unsuccessful votes. 

But the Senate’s procedural vote was just the first step on the way to potential passage, and Republicans will have another opportunity to block it in the coming days.

It’s unclear when they plan to vote on the House version. In a statement, House Democratic leaders called on Senate Republicans “to do the right thing.” 

Support for the war from some Republicans waned after the conflict passed a statutory 60-day deadline under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which says the president must remove armed forces from hostilities if Congress has not authorized the war. The war passed the deadline on May 1, but the administration has argued that a fragile ceasefire stopped the clock in early April, though both sides have carried out attacks since then.

The Trump administration has also argued the War Powers Resolution of 1973 is unconstitutional, though that theory has never been tested in court.

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Republicans who have voted in favor of limiting Mr. Trump’s military powers in Iran have been uncomfortable with the lack of congressional authorization on the war and a strategy to end it. Some fear the war’s unpopularity and the economic fallout could harm the GOP’s chances at keeping control of Congress after the midterm elections in November. 

GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who is running for Senate, said in a private exchange at a campaign stop last week that the war could be a “political liability” if it continues beyond “the next couple of weeks,” according to audio obtained by CBS News. 

But Mr. Trump said last month he was in “no hurry” to make a deal with Iran ahead of the midterms. 

“Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh, the midterms, I’m in a hurry.’ I’m in no hurry,” he said. 

The resolution approved Wednesday was introduced in April by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It directs the president “to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran,” unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force. 

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Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, earlier Wednesday called it a “stupid political vote” that “weakens the president’s hands as he’s negotiating with Iran.” 

After the vote, Meeks brushed off the assertion that the war powers votes have undercut the president during negotiations with Iran. When asked whether Democrats would keep forcing votes to end the Iran war, Meeks told reporters, “You can expect us to continue to do our jobs.” 

“We’re going to continue to do our constitutional responsibilities,” he said. 

Fitzpatrick, who also voted in favor of a war powers resolution in May, said, “The law is the law.” 

“We have to follow the law. There’s a law on the books,” Fitzpatrick said. “So you have two choices: You either follow the law or you change the law. You can’t violate the law. That’s not an option.” 

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During floor debate on the measure on May 20, Democrats questioned why Republicans haven’t held a vote on an authorization for military force to provide Mr. Trump with legal guardrails for attacking Iran. 

“If my Republican colleagues believe this is justified, they should bring an AUMF to the floor,” Meeks said.

There’s been little momentum so far behind an AUMF introduced by Barrett earlier in May. 

Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, an independent who caucuses with Republicans, argued there are “better tools” for Congress to assert its authority. 

“We actually have the ability to provide direction as to how funds should be used,” Kiley said, referring to Congress’ power of the purse. “I understand why people want to use whatever tools are available, but I believe that Congress should use those tools of congressional oversight and the powers we have under Article I that really have teeth here.” 

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