WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in the House are scheduled to vote Thursday on a measure that would force President Donald Trump to end military operations against Iran, marking a critical assessment of congressional willingness to support a conflict the president initiated more than two months ago without legislative authorization.
This vote represents the most recent Democratic attempt to constrain Trump’s military actions through the 1973 War Powers Resolution. While earlier votes on comparable measures have been unsuccessful, Democrats believe Thursday’s vote might mark a pivotal moment.
Gradually, a small yet potentially decisive group of Republicans have joined Democrats in efforts to limit Trump’s authority to continue the military engagement. On Tuesday, the Senate moved forward with another war powers measure when four Republican senators backed the resolution and three others were not present for the vote.
A concluding vote on the Senate measure might also occur Thursday, although Republican leadership anticipates they can prevent its passage once all GOP senators attend.
Congressional tolerance for the conflict has diminished as the standoff in the Strait of Hormuz interferes with international shipping and increases fuel costs across the United States. A previous House war powers measure almost succeeded last week, failing on a tied vote despite three Republicans supporting it.
Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, who introduced the war powers measure, has indicated he anticipates having sufficient votes this round.
“Congress has a constitutional duty. It has a duty to act, not to cheerlead, especially not to cheerlead an open-ended war of choice,” Meeks said.
The single Democrat who opposed the war powers measure last week, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, has announced he will support the legislation this time. At the same time, leadership from both parties have been managing multiple absences that could influence the outcome either direction in the narrowly divided chamber.
Republicans have generally backed Trump’s initiatives to eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but some now contend that the president’s legal window to conduct warfare without congressional authorization has ended. According to the 1973 War Powers Resolution, presidents have 60 days to participate in military conflict before Congress must either declare war or approve the use of armed force.
“We have to follow the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican shortly after he voted for an Iran war powers resolution for the first time last week.
The White House contends that War Powers Resolution requirements no longer apply due to the ceasefire with Iran. Simultaneously, Trump has stated he was merely an hour from ordering another strike on Iran earlier this week, but refrained because Gulf allies indicated they were participating in negotiations to conclude the war.
Nevertheless, Trump posted on social media that military leaders should “be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.” Trump has consistently established deadlines for Tehran and subsequently retreated.
Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has previously opposed the war powers resolutions, voiced dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s position, particularly regarding Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“The current status quo, Pete Hegseth demonstrates how incompetent he is,” Tillis told reporters, adding that he would be willing to vote for an authorization for use of military force.
Meanwhile, Democratic senators gathered outside the Capitol Wednesday with VoteVets, a left-leaning veterans’ advocacy group. They displayed signs on the Capitol lawn indicating that the national average gasoline price had increased to $4.53.
Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who served in the Iraq War with the Air National Guard, contended that the Iran war has constituted a strategic mistake for Trump.
“Trump started a war, and he’s made things worse than before,” Duckworth said, pointing to Iran’s new leadership and the country’s willingness to put a chokehold on commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Republican leaders commended Trump for taking what they described as decisive action to directly challenge Iran, a nation that has been a U.S. opponent for decades.
“I’m an American. I don’t believe in getting hit and walking away and pretending as though it didn’t happen,” said Rep. Brian Mast, the Republican chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
For Congress, the increasing support to pass a war powers resolution could ultimately result in a legal confrontation over who holds final authority over military conflicts.
The legislation before the House Thursday is a concurrent resolution that lawmakers claim would become effective without Trump’s signature if it passes both congressional chambers.
However, Trump has also maintained that the 1973 law — enacted by Congress during the Vietnam War period in an effort to reclaim its authority over foreign conflicts — is unconstitutional.
