House vote canceled to limit Trump’s military powers
Republicans supporting the war on Iran postponed the vote until early June to give the president more time to resolve the Iranian file.
Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives unexpectedly canceled a vote on a resolution aimed at ending the war against Iran unless President Donald Trump obtained congressional authorization, in an effort to limit his military powers, two days after a similar measure was approved in the Senate.
The vote had been scheduled for late Thursday, before lawmakers left Washington for an official recess, amid an unprecedented escalation in the Middle East and discussions about a possible resumption of the conflict following Trump’s threats against Iran.
The House of Representatives had already blocked three previous war powers resolutions in closely contested votes earlier this year, with near-unanimous Republican support, underscoring strong backing for the war against Iran and for the president within his party.
However, the margin has been narrowing. The measure failed after a tie vote, weeks after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran on February 28. Earlier indications suggested that the House would proceed with approving the measure on Thursday due to expected Republican defections and absences.
Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters after the vote was canceled: “We unquestionably had the votes, and they knew it.”
He said House Republican leaders had postponed the vote until early June, after Memorial Day, suggesting an intention to give the president more time to resolve the Iran crisis.
Democrats, along with some Republicans, have urged Trump to seek congressional authorization for the use of military force, noting that the U.S. Constitution grants Congress — not the president — the authority to declare war. They also expressed concerns that Trump may have drawn the country into a prolonged conflict without a clear strategy.
Most Republicans, along with the White House, argue that the president’s actions are lawful and fall within his authority as commander in chief of the armed forces to protect the United States by ordering limited military operations to counter imminent threats. Republicans hold a narrow majority in both the House and the Senate.
On Tuesday, the Senate passed a separate but similar war powers resolution, in a rare rebuke of Trump. The procedural vote on whether to proceed with further consideration passed 50 to 47, with four Republican senators aligned with the president joining nearly all Democrats, except one, in supporting the measure. Three Republican senators were absent from the vote.
