House Democrats tried to bring the resolution, which demands Trump visit Congress to seek authorization for the war, to the floor during a\u00a0pro forma session, or a brief meeting, on Thursday, but\u00a0House Republicans did not make that possible<\/a>. Even so, anti-war activists spoke out on their disappointment with Washington Democrats.<\/p>\n Etan\u00a0Mabourakh, a Park Slope resident and\u00a0NIAC Organizing Manager, expressed concern over what he called “timidity” from Jeffries for not forcing a vote.<\/p>\n He thought Jeffries was “giving a free pass to President Trump to escalate the war during which more civilians died, our troops were put in harm’s way, and the global economy spiralled into chaos.”<\/p>\n Mabourakh, a Jewish-Iranian American, displayed a printout of an X post from February 2025,<\/a> in\u00a0which the congressman was quoted by The Forward<\/a> as saying,\u00a0“We will not take our foot off the gas pedal until Iran is brought to its knees for the good of the world.”<\/p>\n Amidst boos from those that gathered, he\u00a0pointed out that Jeffries had not retracted,\u00a0apologized, or responded to criticism over\u00a0the comments.<\/p>\n “We need leadership from Leader Jeffries and Ranking Member Meeks,” Mabourakh said. “We need them to find votes. We need them to work with, not against, the grassroots community pushing for peace and against war.”<\/p>\n Mabourakh was joined by Dr. Charlotte Phillips, chairperson of Brooklyn for Peace<\/a> and Brooklynite\u00a0Rev. Mira Sawlani-Joyner, the\u00a0Minister of Justice, Advocacy & Change at Riverside Church<\/a> in Manhattan.<\/p>\n “Genocide prevention must mean concrete action,” Dr. Phillips said. “Against the political, military,\u00a0economic, and social conditions that allow genocide and mass atrocities. It must be the refusal to fund, excuse, and normalize the destruction\u00a0of civilian life and healthcare systems.”<\/p>\n Rev. Sawlani-Joyner\u00a0criticized President Trump for calling the war in Iran a “holy war” that was part of God’s plan.<\/p>\n “What we are witnessing from the administration, and those who remain silent, is moral failure,” she said. “Democratic House leaders must act with moral courage. Pass this resolution to the House floor. Now!”<\/p>\n Amid chants of “Shame”\u00a0and\u00a0“Push the vote,” Mabourakh told BK Reader that NIAC had been pressing Jeffries’ office about whether the resolution would ever be voted on and the rally was meant to put pressure on Jeffries to quicken the pace.<\/p>\n He said many Iranian-Americans from across the country has\u00a0been asking him about what Jeffries was going to do.<\/p>\n “We had to do this,” he said. “There’s no substitute to voting on the resolution. We stand by him if he does something but he continues to drag his feet.”<\/p>\n![\"etanmabourakh\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/etanmabourakh.JPG;w=960.jpeg\"\/)
\nEtan Mabourakh, Organizing Manager, NIAC Action, speaks at press conference at Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ district office, urging him to bring the Iran War Powers Resolution to the House Floor. Megan McGibney for BK Reader
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