Dem who backed Trump's Iran war powers changes stance after president's genocidal remarks

One of just four House Democrats who voted against constraining President Donald Trump's war powers in response to the escalation in Iran was Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), a moderate to conservative-leaning Democrat in a Trump-voting congressional district stretching from San Antonio to Laredo.

But with Trump's latest remarks that Iran's "whole civilization will die tonight" if the country's leaders don't acquiesce to his demands, Cuellar has changed his mind — and vowed in a new statement to back any upcoming war powers resolution.

"I respect the weight of the decisions before the president and the responsibility he carries to protect the American people," said Cuellar. "However, I believe we must be careful with the language we use. Strength and destruction are not the same. The words we choose matter, not just here at home, but around the world. When the United States echoes the rhetoric of its adversaries, we risk weakening the values that have long defined our leadership. America has always stood for something higher, especially restraint and moral clarity, and that's what the world expects from us."

"Let me be clear: the Iranian regime cannot be allowed to continue supporting terrorist proxies that threaten American lives and our allies. We will stand firm in our commitment to security and stability," said Cuellar. "But strength requires strategy. It requires clarity of purpose and a defined path forward."

"I intend to support a war powers resolution when it comes before the House again," Cuellar concluded. "Not as a rebuke, but as a reaffirmation of Congress's constitutional role and our shared responsibility to the American people."

Cuellar has already gotten on the wrong side of the Trump administration recently, after the president pardoned him from a federal bribery case, expecting him to switch to the Republican Party in return, only for him to stay loyal to his party.