Who?
Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI)
LISTEN: Laslo & Scholten
Ask a Pol asks:
Why did House Speaker Mike Johnson pull the AUMF — or Authorization for Military Force — measure on the war against Iran from the floor Thursday?
Key Scholten:
“We had the votes for it today,” Rep. Hillary Scholten said on the Capitol steps Thursday just before Congress left town for its weeklong Memorial Day recess. “I’m not one to speculate, but I do believe that’s probably why he pulled it.”
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Caught our ear:
“I think we could have gotten it done today, and that’s unfortunate,” Scholten said. “It’s a disservice to the American people.”
Below find a rough transcript of Ask a Pol‘s exclusive interview with Rep. Hillary Scholten (D-MI), slightly edited for clarity.
TRANSCRIPT: Rep. Hillary Scholten (5-21-2026)
SCENE: Ask a Pol’s Matt Laslo and a gaggle of reporters bounce questions off Rep. Hillary Scholten who left the US Capitol during the last House vote series ahead of Congress’s Memorial Day recess to vent.
Rep. Hillary Scholten: “We had the votes for it today, and I, you know, I’m not one to speculate, but I do believe that’s probably why he pulled it.
“Because I think we could have gotten it done today, and that’s unfortunate. It’s a disservice to the American people.”
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