WASHINGTON — In one of its final votes before leaving town for a five-week recess, the House moved Thursday to limit President Trump’s authority to continue military action against Iran.
Lawmakers approved the war powers resolution in a narrow 214-208 vote, directing Trump to scale back the U.S. military campaign targeting the Islamic Republic.
Four Republicans — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — broke with their party to support the measure, joining all 210 House Democrats. It marks the second war powers resolution to clear the chamber in recent months.
The vote came after four U.S. service members were killed in Iranian attacks over the weekend, and as concerns grow on Capitol Hill that the Pentagon is rapidly depleting funds and may need additional congressional support to sustain the war effort.
Introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), the largely symbolic resolution forces Republicans to take a public position on the conflict just as they head back to their districts for several weeks and prepare for the midterm campaign season.
The resolution calls on Trump “to remove the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, including potential ground forces in a combat role or used for occupation.”
A number of Republican lawmakers have already expressed unease that the Iran war could become a major political vulnerability for the party ahead of the Nov. 3 elections.
“We got to wrap it up,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) acknowledged during a press conference this week.
The Trump administration had negotiated a preliminary memorandum of understanding with Iran to cease hostilities last month, but that collapsed after Tehran continued carrying out attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, which drew a military response from the US.
Wednesday evening marked the 12th straight night of US bombings in Iran.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, presidents are restricted from carrying out military actions abroad for more than 60 days without congressional consent. The law makes room for an additional 30-day extension and requires the president to notify Congress about such actions.
The War Powers Act’s constitutionality is untested and disputed by the administration.
Trump notified Congress on July 10 about renewed military action against Iran after the cease-fire collapsed.
