The US House of Representatives passed a resolution curbing President Donald Trump’s authority to attack Iran without Congressional approval.
On Wednesday, four Republicans joined Democrats in Washington, D.C., to pass the bill on a 215-208 vote.
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Although the resolution is unlikely to pass, it represents a harsh rebuke of President Trump’s decision to join in attacks on Israel and Iran on February 28, starting a conflict that will enter its 100th day on Saturday.
President Trump did not seek Congressional approval for the war, instead trying to label it a “skirmish” or a “short expedition.”
Republican leaders’ repeated use of force overseas has frustrated some leaders in Congress, whose only power to declare war is given by the Constitution.
Wednesday’s vote marks the fourth time this year the House has voted on a war powers resolution that would force President Trump to seek Congressional support for military action against Iran.
However, this is the first time the resolution has been passed by the House of Representatives. The bill’s passage followed a political maneuver that some interpreted as a Republican effort to kill the bill.
Division within the Republican Party
The vote on the war powers resolution was scheduled for May 21, the night before Congress adjourned for Memorial Day.
However, the vote was halted, even though Republican support indicated the resolution had a chance of success. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican and ally of President Trump, opted to adjourn the session early.
However, the resolution was taken up again after the adjournment. In Wednesday’s vote, Michigan’s Tom Barrett, Ohio’s Warren Davidson, Pennsylvania’s Brian Fitzpatrick and Kentucky’s Thomas Massey split from the Republican establishment to pass the bill.
Massey, who has actively campaigned against President Trump’s re-election bid, marked the occasion with a message on social media.
“The Iran War Powers Resolution (against the war), which I co-sponsored, just passed the House of Representatives,” Massey wrote. “The House of Peoples is sending a message: End this war.”
Massey has no plans to return to Congress next year. He lost the local Republican primary last month to pro-Trump opponent Ed Galine.
Barrett explained her vote by saying there was a risk that the House seats would be taken over by Democrats in November’s midterm elections, and by claiming that Trump exceeded his duties.
“Under the Constitution, Congress has exclusive authority to declare war and authorize the use of force. The War Powers Act of 1973 delegates some of that authority to the President for a limited time,” Barrett, a retired military officer, wrote.
“That authority has expired, and my support for this resolution tonight is consistent with my belief that the time has come for Congress to determine the scope of the mission and appropriate limits on the use of force in Iran.”
Democrats call on the Senate to act
President Trump’s war against Iran divided House Republicans, but House Democrats unanimously supported the war powers resolution. After the vote, several people urged their colleagues in the Senate to quickly pass the bill.
“The House of Representatives passed the Iran War Powers Resolution to rein in Trump and end this reckless and unauthorized war,” Ayanna Pressley, a progressive representative from Massachusetts, said on social media. “The Senate must immediately follow suit and act to end this war.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Shontel Brown of Ohio highlighted the constitutional problems and costs raised by President Trump’s wars.
“The power to declare war rests with Congress, not the executive branch,” she said in the post. “After months of confusion, high costs, and wasted resources, it’s time to end President Trump’s costly Iran war now.”
The war against Iran has been costly for the United States, with the Pentagon estimating in May that $29 billion has been spent so far.
However, some analysts believe this is an underestimate. Financial experts at Harvard University predicted in April that the price could soar to more than $1 trillion.
There are also concerns that the war may have hurt the United States in terms of its military preparedness.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S.-based research institute, released a report in April warning that certain critical munitions were in short supply, with the number used exceeding the number of expected replacements.
These include the Tomahawk missile, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD), and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM).
Growing public opposition
American voters broadly disapprove of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. A poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion last month found that 60% of Americans disapprove of President Trump’s approach to war, up from 54% in March.
This increase was also seen among Republicans. In March, 15% disapproved of President Trump’s handling of the war, but that number has since increased to 22%.
Sixty-one percent of all Americans felt the war “did more harm than good.”
The growing disapproval partly reflects the economic backlash against the war, which has driven up the prices of products such as fuel and agricultural fertilizers.
The Trump administration has also faced criticism for calling the Feb. 28 attack unprovoked, although the president and his allies maintain the war was necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
More than 3,400 people died in Iran during the war. At least 13 U.S. soldiers were also killed in the conflict, which spilled over into neighboring countries, with fatalities reported across the region.
Wednesday’s House war powers resolution now heads to the Senate, which passed a similar bill in May.
But it faces an uphill battle overall, as President Trump is likely to veto any attempt to reduce military power.
Only bills passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress can overcome a presidential veto. So far, neither the Senate nor the House version has passed that threshold.
