The Senate was also expected to vote on the War Powers Resolution, largely a symbolic move to try to control President Trump.
Four Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives once again joined Democrats in voting to limit President Donald Trump’s powers to wage war against Iran.
The resolution was passed by a vote of 214 to 208 on Thursday, nearly a week after three U.S. service members were killed in an Iranian attack on a military base in Jordan. Shortly after, another resolution in the U.S. Senate failed 47-49, with two Republicans who had supported the previous resolution declining to vote.
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The House and Senate passed resolutions in June calling on President Trump to seek Congressional approval before launching any further attacks. However, the resolution was passed as a so-called “concurrent resolution” and was not sent to President Trump’s desk.
Even if the bill were to pass as a joint resolution and be sent to President Trump for approval, the president could veto it. Overriding such a veto requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers.
Still, House Democrats said the latest resolution sends an important message that lawmakers oppose President Trump’s approach to the war, which has escalated again after a ceasefire broke down in early July.
Both the United States and Iran have carried out continuous attacks for 12 days, and some analysts have warned that further U.S. escalation could occur in the near future. President Trump has repeatedly threatened attacks on civilian infrastructure and the possibility of a ground invasion.
“This is the vote we need to send the clearest and strongest message to the president of the United States that we find the strength to do what’s right for the American people and that Congress, the House of Representatives, reaffirms our nation’s authority to wage war,” Rep. Pramila Jayapal said Wednesday on the House floor.
“This war must end,” she said.
Under the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can declare war, and although it has not done so since World War II, the president can also use force in cases of emergency self-defense.
President Trump has claimed that the culmination of Iran’s actions since 1979 represents such an imminent threat, but many constitutional experts reject this claim.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president must seek approval from Congress within 60 days of deploying troops. The war between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28, but the Trump administration claimed hostilities had been “ended” following a pause in fighting in April.
War powers experts and some lawmakers said the workaround attempt ignored the law. The administration re-notified Congress that fighting had resumed before the latest attack.
David Janofsky, acting director of the Constitution Project at the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), said in a statement Thursday that the House vote “reaffirms what people across this country have said all along: We do not want to be party to an illegal war.”
“Contrary to the administration’s claims, the recent hostilities are not a new war. We are already months past the constitutional deadline for the administration to end this unauthorized war,” he said.
He also noted that the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a massive $1.15 trillion defense bill that includes tens of billions of dollars in war funding. The Senate has not yet voted on the package.
“If Congress is serious about ending this protracted conflict, it must also deny the administration’s request for funding,” he said.
