During an interview with the Daily Caller, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) argued that it was necessary for anti-war Republicans to ally themselves with the supposedly anti-war Democrats colloquially known as “The Squad.”
Gaetz’s comments come after his War Powers measure — H. Con. Res. 30, which would have removed U.S. troops from Somalia — failed to pass the House of Representatives on April 27. The bill was rejected by a staggering 219-vote margin.
“Forcing a war powers vote is the boldest action taken by any member of Congress on Somalia in recent decades,” said Erik Sperling of Just Foreign Policy, an advocacy group critical of mainstream Washington foreign policy that backs the resolution. https://t.co/iN2UtY5Ny4 pic.twitter.com/PyGP0qgq7a
— Just Foreign Policy (@justfp) April 27, 2023
In response to the bipartisan support for continuing to fund the spreading American troops into countries where they do not need to be, Gaetz spoke about the need for the populist wings of both parties to come together to fight to remove U.S. soldiers from foreign deployments. He also specifically expressed appreciation for several Democrat lawmakers that contributed to his recent measure — Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
“[W]hile we disagree strongly on a variety of issues, I think there should be greater connectivity between the anti-war right and the anti-war left,” Gaetz said.
“I am grateful for the advice that I’ve gotten from [them on] war powers bills,” he added.
WATCH: @Ilhan urges support for @RepMattGaetz' Somalia War Powers Res., citing the "long enough timeline to ensure the operations that we are partnering with can be ended responsibly."
"I, and many Somali Americans, support this resolution"
"I urge my colleagues to do the same" https://t.co/rfKKgWxVUQ pic.twitter.com/HTfroSyi4c
— Just Foreign Policy (@justfp) April 27, 2023
Many were shocked by Gaetz thanking Omar for helping with a foreign policy issue, as he voted in February to remove the radical leftist congresswoman from the House Foreign Affairs Committee for her constant antisemitic remarks.
“I wish more of the Democratic caucus shared the views of people like Ro Khanna on foreign policy,” Gaetz went on to note, referring to the self-described progressive’s repeated calls for ending “forever wars” and limiting the spreading of U.S. military forces overseas.
It's time to close the book on forever wars and rethink our foreign policy. America needs help at home more than ever. https://t.co/Ilq2gIgpvp
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) January 3, 2021
Despite the fact that the conservative voter base has moved much further into the anti-war camp in recent years, advocating for the ending of these forever wars and bringing American soldiers home, Republican lawmakers have still stood up for war and keeping troops overseas — especially the U.S.’s controversial support for the Ukraine war. In regards to Gaetz’s War Powers measure, 165 Republican lawmakers chose to vote against bringing troops home.
Gaetz described this broad opposition to the measure as an alliance of “neo-conservatives and pro-war liberals… using the 2001 AUMF to justify a continued troop presence.”
The AUMF was a Joint Resolution passed by Congress following the 9/11 terror attacks, which gave presidents the authority to use military force against those responsible for the attack.
While he did criticize the AUMF as a “global provision slip for U.S. intervention,” Gaetz did not response to the Daily Caller’s question about whether he supported repealing the resolution.
