It’s notable that Brian Fitzpatrick, who recently kicked off a tough reelection campaign in a key Bucks County swing district, was one of a handful of Republicans yesterday to help Democrats pass a resolution aimed at restricting Trump’s authority to attack Iran. Which shows just how worried Fitzpatrick, a perennial electoral target in a bellwether district, is about retaining his seat!
According to the Inquirer, the war powers resolution was approved 215-208, with Fitzpatrick among just four Republicans who supported the measure opposed by Trump and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. Reps. Thomas Massie (Kentucky), Tom Barrett (Michigan), Warren Davidson (Ohio) were the other three.
The five-term lawmaker’s office did not respond to a request for comment explaining his vote, though he voted with Democrats on the issue once before — when a tie vote last month meant the resolution came one shy of passage.
Fitzpatrick has not criticized Trump’s decision to attack Iran but rather his move to continue with the effort unchecked by Congress. An early May legal deadline that marked 60 days of the conflict, Fitzpatrick and others argued, required the president to receive congressional approval to continue the attacks.