The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on a resolution to halt President Donald Trump’s military action against Iran in a test of lawmakers’ positions on the latest war.
Thursday’s vote came a day after a vote on a parallel war resolution in the U.S. Senate, which was defeated 47-53 largely along partisan lines.
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As in the Senate, Republicans control a slim majority in the House of Representatives, and any vote to rein in Trump’s behavior is almost certain to face an uphill battle.
Still, Thursday’s vote will be significant. The 435-seat House of Representatives was envisioned under the U.S. Constitution as the legislative branch closest to the American people. It is often called the People’s House.
With opinion polls continuing to show dismal support for Trump’s bombing campaign and Trump’s own “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) figures questioning the war’s motivations, the vote will force lawmakers to put their position on the record, said Thomas Massey, a Republican who supports the resolution.
“They don’t want their name associated with this when the results are bad,” Massie said on the House floor during Wednesday’s debate.
He joined most Democratic lawmakers in condemning Trump’s actions as unconstitutional.
According to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can declare war. Although the president can carry out some military actions unilaterally, legal scholars have long argued that under America’s founding documents, that authority applies only in cases of the nation’s immediate self-defense.
Lawmakers critical of Trump’s actions have called the operation launched Saturday with Israel a “war of choice” and accused the administration of providing no evidence of an immediate threat.
To be sure, the administration has made many arguments against the available evidence.
The U.S. administration pointed to both Iran’s nuclear program, which President Trump said was “erased” in last year’s airstrikes, and claims that Iran was trying to develop a ballistic missile program that could strike the United States. Experts noted that U.S. intelligence estimates that if Iran had attempted to develop such a missile, it would take until 2035 to achieve that goal.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that Israel, a close U.S. ally, is planning to attack Iran, which he expects would trigger Iranian attacks on U.S. assets in the Middle East. Trump later said Iran was planning to attack Israel.
Throughout its argument, the administration said all actions by the Iranian government since the 1979 Islamic Revolution represented an immediate threat that previous U.S. administrations failed to address.
‘Constitutional right to exercise power’
Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in classified briefings and public statements ahead of the Senate vote on Friday that he was increasingly fearful of the possibility of the United States being put on the field.
“One day he chooses one plan and the next he chooses a whole opposing plan,” Schumer said, referring to President Trump. “He doesn’t think it through and he doesn’t check the facts.”
“He is surrounded by people who say ‘yes.’ This is dangerous,” he said.
As of Thursday, fighting continued across the Middle East, with the United States and Israel repeatedly attacking Iran and Iran launching recent attacks across the Gulf. The recent strike extended to Turkiye and Azerbaijan.
At least 1,230 people have died in Iran since last Saturday, 11 in Israel and nine in the Gulf region. Six American soldiers also died.
As Wednesday’s Senate vote highlighted, Republicans have largely backed the Trump campaign or expressed tacit support, including praise for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, the top Republican, warned that forcing an end to the military operation would be “dangerous.”
On Wednesday, he pointed to Congress’ “constitutional right to exercise its oversight powers.”
“But we also have a duty and obligation not to undermine our own national security,” he said.
Several Republicans have expressed confidence that Trump will quickly end the war and ultimately help reduce the political fallout from contradicting his anti-interventionist platform.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president must obtain congressional approval within 60 days (extendable by up to 90 days) to continue military action, regardless of initial justification.
Voting expected imminent
Currently, in the House of Representatives, the Republican Party controls 218 seats and the Democratic Party controls 214 seats, with 3 seats remaining vacant.
The vote is expected to be close, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries predicting broad support across the party.
But a few Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer, a top defender of Israel, have indicated they may oppose the resolution.
In addition to Massey, at least one Republican, Rep. Warren Davidson, has pledged to vote in favor of curbing Trump.
If the resolution passes with a simple majority, it would have to take another vote in the Senate before being sent to President Trump. He could then issue a veto, which would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers to override it.
A handful of Democratic lawmakers have separately proposed another war powers resolution that would allow the president to continue the war for 30 days before receiving congressional approval.
It was unclear when the vote would take place.
