The House passed a resolution on Wednesday to limit President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran, a significant rebuke to Trump and his handling of the conflict.
Democrats have repeatedly forced votes to limit Trump’s war powers in both the House and the Senate – a campaign that has gradually picked up more GOP support in recent weeks.
The vote was 215 to 208 with Republican Reps. Thomas Massie, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett and Warren Davidson crossing party lines to support the resolution.
Passage of the war powers resolution is the latest instance of the GOP-controlled Congress pushing back on Trump’s agenda. Senate Republicans in recent days have revolted over a controversial $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that Trump favors, but which they fear would grant payouts to his supporters who attacked police officers during the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. Senate Republicans also formally removed funding for Trump’s ballroom security on Wednesday as part of their immigration package after the chamber’s official rule-keeper determined it violated budgetary rules.
The measure, known as a concurrent resolution, passed by the House Wednesday must be approved by both chambers, but would not go to the president to be signed.
The vote was 215 to 208 with Republican Reps. Thomas Massie, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett and Warren Davidson crossing party lines to support the resolution.
The resolution was introduced by New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
This vote was originally set to take place on May 21, but was abruptly canceled by GOP leaders just as Republicans were on the verge of losing the vote due to absences. At the time Meeks told reporters that he thought House Speaker Mike Johnson had been stalling a vote on the measure.
“A lot of my Republican colleagues are feeling the pressure back home when they’re looking at the cost of food, the cost of gas,” he previously told CNN.”(Johnson) is feeling heat. He’s trying to cover for the president. … But I think the time of him being able to cover for the president is rapidly ending.”
Ahead of the vote on Wednesday, Johnson defended some GOP lawmakers’ opposition to reining in Trump’s war powers in Iran, warning it could have a “very negative” impact on negotiations.
“I think it is a very dangerous prospect to take away from the administration and the commander-in-chief right now the ability to negotiate. That’s what this does. It, it weakens us, our position, and our leverage in negotiation on the peace in that situation. ‘Operation Epic Fury’ is concluded,” he told CNN on Wednesday.
Johnson claimed all of the US objectives in Iran were “well defined” and “achieved,” despite some lawmakers, including Republicans, expressing interest in receiving further information from the administration.
“The president is now in the process of, of concluding a peace agreement, and we have to allow him the latitude to do that, and I think a war powers resolution right now is very untimely, and a very, very negative, and dangerous thing for the country,” he said.
The Pentagon, State Department and USAID inspectors general have launched a joint review of the US war with Iran, announcing in a press release Wednesday that they are mandated by law to probe overseas military operations that exceed 60 days.
The announcement is significant because it indicates that the watchdogs believe that, legally, the war has lasted more than 60 days from its commencement on February 28. Under the War Powers Act, the president is prohibited from keeping US troops in active hostilities for more than 60 days without congressional approval.
The administration never sought such approval for Operation Epic Fury, the name the US gave to its military campaign against Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last month that it was his understanding that the 60-day clock on the war “reset” when President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire in April.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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