WASHINGTON (OSV News) — A war powers resolution seeking to curtail President Donald Trump‘s military actions in Iran failed in both the Senate on March 4 and the House on March 5.
The same week in Washington, President Donald Trump announced March 5 he removed Kristi Noem from her post as the Department of Homeland Security secretary, and the House passed a bipartisan bill aiming to combat human trafficking.
House, Senate reject Iran war powers resolution
The war powers resolution — which would have expressed the disapproval of Congress — failed in both chambers along mostly party lines.
In the House, the resolution failed 212-219. Republican Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio broke with their party’s leadership to support it, while Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jared Golden of Maine, Greg Landsman of Ohio and Juan Vargas of California broke with their party’s leadership to oppose it.
In the Senate, the resolution failed 47-53. That vote also fell mostly along party lines, although Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., supported the resolution while Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., opposed it.
The combat operations against Iran in concert with Israel killed Iran’s longtime supreme leader, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also prompted retaliatory strikes by Iran across the region, with deaths and casualties — including the loss of at least six U.S. military personnel — on all sides.
Pope Leo XIV is among the world leaders who expressed concern about the U.S.-Israel and Iran War and its aftermath.
Trump fires controversial DHS head
Noem is the first Cabinet member to be ousted in Trump’s second term.
Her tenure as head of DHS was marked by controversial efforts to enforce the president’s hardline immigration policies, some of which have deeply concerned Catholic immigration advocates. Trump’s announcement came as reports circulated in Washington that the president was weighing removing the embattled Noem after her performance at congressional hearings the same week reportedly frustrated him.
A key moment in those hearings came when Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., questioned Noem on a more than $200 million ad campaign which prominently featured her.
Noem claimed that the president previously agreed to that campaign, which Kennedy questioned.
“It’s just hard for me to believe, knowing the president as I do, that you said, ‘Mr. President, here’s some ads I’ve cut, and I’m going to spend $220 million running them’ that he would have agreed to that,” he said.
Trump disputed Noem’s claims in comments to NBC News late March 5.
“I wasn’t thrilled with it. I spent less money than that to become president. I didn’t know about it,” Trump said of that ad campaign.
After her removal, Catholic immigration advocates were among those who called for change at the Department of Homeland Security.
Kevin Appleby, senior fellow for policy and communications at the Center for Migration Studies in New York and the former director of migration policy for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told OSV News, “I think we should remember that the policy of mass deportations will inevitably lead to human rights violations, regardless of who leads DHS.”
“The real change will come only if the administration — specifically President Trump and his advisers — change course at how they view immigrants and immigration policy as a whole,” Appleby said.
Trump named Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., as his choice to replace Noem. The post requires Senate confirmation.
House passes bipartisan bill to combat human trafficking
The House passed H.R. 4307, the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act, on March 3. If enacted, the bipartisan bill would require new efforts by the Department of Labor to train its employees to recognize signs of human trafficking.
The bill was co-sponsored by Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Ga.
The USCCB’s Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development and Committee on Migration wrote a March 2 letter to members of Congress to express their support for the bill.
“We are grateful for the bipartisan cooperation demonstrated by Representatives Walberg and McBath in introducing this bill,” the letter said. “The straightforward requirements of H.R. 4307 would bolster the U.S. Department of Labor’s important role in combating human trafficking.”
The Catholic Church, they continued, “is a steadfast voice against human trafficking and other forms of exploitation, as well as a longtime provider of services and pastoral care to victims of these crimes. The USCCB has frequently supported legislative efforts, such as H.R. 4307, that advance our nation’s commitment to eradicating the sin of human trafficking, which the Holy See has repeatedly said undermines God-given dignity.”
In a March 3 statement, Walberg said, “Today, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle took a stand in denouncing the scourge of human trafficking.”
“Very often, Department of Labor employees are the first to encounter signs of human trafficking, forced labor, and exploitation; the Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act provides these employees with the tools and knowledge needed to detect and address this heinous crime,” he said.
McBath said in a statement, “By strengthening the Department of Labor’s ability to train personnel to recognize and report the warning signs of trafficking, we are reinforcing our commitment to protecting the most vulnerable from exploitation and abuse.”
“Human trafficking is a grave violation of human rights that demands vigilance, coordination, and accountability at every level of government,” she said.
The legislation was referred to the Senate for its consideration.
Kate Scanlon is a national reporter for OSV News covering Washington. Follow her on X @kgscanlon.
