The House of Representatives passed a war powers resolution on Wednesday directing President Trump to end military hostilities with Iran, marking a rare bipartisan rebuke of the administration's military actions. The vote passed 215-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats to support the measure after it had failed in three previous attempts.
The Republican lawmakers who crossed party lines were Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Tom Barrett of Michigan. The vote represents growing erosion of Republican support for the conflict as it continues without clear congressional authorization.
"The House should use this moment to do what we should have done before the war started—discuss the rationale, strategy, end state, and costs to American taxpayers and our economy," said Senator Tim Kaine, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill, in a statement before the vote.
The resolution comes as military tensions between the United States and Iran continue to escalate. Iranian drone strikes on Kuwait's airport resulted in casualties, with Iran describing the attack as retaliation for earlier US strikes on an Iranian oil tanker and island. The back-and-forth military actions have raised concerns about a broader regional conflict.
Despite the House vote, the measure faces significant obstacles. Democrats have been unable to advance a similar war powers resolution in the Senate, where Republicans hold control. Even if both chambers were to pass the resolution, Trump would likely veto it. Congress would need a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to override a presidential veto, which remains unlikely given current party divisions.
The Senate previously voted to advance its own war powers resolution in a 50-47 vote, marking the first time the chamber had advanced the bill since the conflict began in February. Four Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the procedural vote, including Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who cited lack of clarity from the administration about military objectives.
The bipartisan nature of the votes reflects growing concern among lawmakers about the administration's military approach to Iran. Both Republican and Democratic critics have argued that the president lacks proper congressional authorization for sustained military operations. The resolution does not require immediate withdrawal but seeks to prevent further escalation without congressional approval.
The war powers debate revives longstanding tensions between the executive and legislative branches over who holds authority to commit US forces to combat. Senate Democratic leaders pointed to the votes as evidence of growing pressure on Republicans to take a stance on the conflict. "Vote by vote, Democrats are breaking through Republicans' wall of silence on Trump's illegal war," said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a statement.