House Republican leadership made a surprising decision Thursday to postpone a planned vote on legislation that would require President Donald Trump to get congressional approval before continuing military operations against Iran.
The voting session was supposed to happen Thursday afternoon before lawmakers departed Washington for the Memorial Day break. However, leadership pushed the vote back to early June following the recess.
Earlier this year, the House had rejected three similar war powers measures in tight votes, with Republicans showing nearly unanimous opposition. This demonstrated strong party support for both the Iran military actions and the president.
However, the voting margins had grown tighter over time – the most recent resolution was defeated in a tie vote – as weeks have elapsed since the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. Thursday’s proposal appeared positioned to succeed, given anticipated Republican defections and several member absences.
“We had the votes without question, and they knew it,” Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters after the vote was canceled.
Democrats and some Republicans have urged Trump to seek congressional authorization for military force, pointing to constitutional provisions that give Congress, rather than the president, the power to declare war. They have raised concerns that Trump may have committed the nation to an extended conflict without articulating a clear strategic plan.
Most Republicans and the White House maintain that Trump’s military actions are lawful and fall within his commander-in-chief authority to protect the United States through limited operations against immediate threats.
Republicans maintain slim control in both chambers of Congress.
Earlier this week, the Senate moved forward with a comparable war powers resolution in an unusual challenge to Trump. The procedural vote to advance the measure passed 50 to 47, with four Republicans joining nearly all Senate Democrats in support. Three Republicans were absent for that vote.
