Long Island Congressional Delegation Splits Along Party Lines on Iran War Powers Resolution

Long Island’s four congressional representatives divided along party lines Thursday as the U.S. House voted on a resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct military strikes against Iran without congressional approval.

The measure failed in a 219-212 vote, according to the vote tally, defeating an effort to require the president to seek authorization from Congress before continuing military action against Iran. The resolution was introduced under the War Powers Resolution, which was enacted during the Vietnam War to give Congress a greater role in decisions about U.S. military engagements.

Democrats Tom Suozzi of Glen Cove and Laura Gillen of Rockville Centre supported the measure, while Republicans Nick LaLota of Amityville and Andrew Garbarino of Bayport opposed it. Gillen’s vote on military funding has already drawn scrutiny from within her own party, as former Assemblywoman Taylor Darling challenges Rep. Laura Gillen in Democratic Primary over ICE funding vote.

Suozzi, who represents District 3, said he backed the resolution because he opposed granting the administration unchecked authority to continue military operations.

“I will vote for the War Powers Resolution because I cannot support unchecked authority for the Administration to engage, indefinitely, in an already deadly war with unknown size and scope,” Suozzi said in a statement. “I, like the overwhelming majority of Americans, do not want another prolonged war in the Middle East.”

Suozzi said he has introduced an alternative measure that would allow military activity to continue for a limited period. “I just cosponsored and introduced an alternative resolution that would allow for a defined period of continued activity for no more than 30 days,” he said. “This would prevent a reckless and potentially unsafe removal of our forces and allow us to continue to protect American troops and our allies in the region during this perilous time.”

He added that any sustained operations should be debated by Congress and the American public.

Gillen, who represents District 4, said Iran remains a major threat to the United States and its allies but cautioned against escalating the conflict without a clear strategy. According to Gillen, Iran has long supported militant groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis and has continued efforts to develop a nuclear weapon.

Gillen said the joint military operations carried out by the United States and Israel have weakened Iran’s leadership and military capabilities but warned against deploying ground troops.

“Now that we face escalation, the Administration must not put boots on the ground and risk the lives of our service members while there is no plan to end this conflict,” Gillen said. “I hope the Administration will come to Congress with a framework to end Iran’s aggression, prevent further loss of servicemembers’ lives, safeguard our economy and protect Israel and our allies in the region.”

The Republican representatives criticized Democrats’ opposition to what they characterized as funding measures. Garbarino, who represents District 2 mainly in Suffolk County, defended the funding measure and criticized Democrats who opposed it.

“I urge my Democrat colleagues to make the right decision and stop playing dangerous games with DHS funding,” Garbarino said in a statement. “As threats from Iran escalate, America must be fully prepared to respond to and mitigate heightened threats to the homeland.”

LaLota, who represents District 1 in Suffolk County, also criticized Democrats’ opposition to the bill. “Only Trump Derangement Syndrome explains why D.C. Democrats are voting to shut down the entire Department of Homeland Security, even though doing so doesn’t even stop ICE operations, which are funded for years through the Big Bill,” LaLota said in a statement.

“Instead, their DHS shutdown irresponsibly halts funding for the Coast Guard, TSA and key cybersecurity operations. I voted to fund President Biden’s government despite strong disagreements with many of his policies. House Democrats should do the same now for the good of the country.”

The vote took place six days after the United States and Israel launched a military campaign targeting the Iranian regime’s military infrastructure, according to the source material.