Sen. Cruz circulates Senate resolution commending killing of Qassem Soleimani

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has been pushing a resolution in the Senate that praises the U.S. killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

Fox News first reported the resolution on Friday.

The resolution is “structured and worded the same way as a 2011 resolution that commended the Obama administration for killing [Osama] bin Laden, which received unanimous support in the Senate,” an aide told the outlet.

The measure honors “the members of the military and intelligence community who carried out the mission that killed Qas[s]em Soleimani.”

In a statement, Cruz said the end of Soleimani is “welcome and long-overdue justice for the thousands of Americans killed or wounded by his Iranian-controlled forces across the Middle East, and for the hundreds of thousands of Syrians and Iraqi Sunnis ethnically cleansed by his militias. It is also long-overdue justice for our Israeli allies who have suffered decades of terrorism at the hands of Hezbollah terrorists commanded by his IRGC Quds Force. The message to all those who mean harm to America is loud and clear.”

Many Democrats, including those running for president, have stated their objection to the killing, despite some acknowledging the role Soleimani had in leading Iran’s terrorist and regional operations in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“I really worry that the actions the president took will get us into what he calls another ‘endless war’ in the Middle East,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday. “He promised we wouldn’t have that, and I think we are closer to that action now because of his actions.”

“There is no question that Iranian Major General Soleimani posed a threat to the free world, but there is also no question that the President—any President—does not have Constitutional authority to draw the United States into a war without prior congressional approval,” tweeted Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who served in the U.S. Army during the Iraq war.

“Soleimani was an enemy of the United States. That’s not a question,” tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). “The question is this: As reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly setting off a potential massive regional war?”

“I fear that this administration used tactics but has no strategy in the long term,” said Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on MSNBC on Friday, while acknowledging Soleimani’s role in killing Americans and leading the Quds Force. “What we cannot accept is a march to an unauthorized war.”

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) announced on Saturday that he and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) introduced a War Powers Resolution the previous day, calling on the administration to seek approval from Congress before declaring war on Iran.

“The Senate must not let this president march into another war in the Middle East without authorization from Congress,” he said. “The Constitution is clear; only the Congress can declare war. And whether it does or not, we must ask critical questions of what led us to this point and where we are headed, and be a reliable source of support for the men and women who bear the burden of battle.”

Because the resolution is privileged, the Senate would be forced to debate and vote on the measure, which doesn’t prevent the United States defending itself from an imminent attack.

On Saturday, the Trump administration formally notified Congress, in accordance with the War Powers Act, of the strike killing Soleimani.