The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to uphold President Donald Trump’s measure to end the war against Iran, as the conflict enters its fourth month and the two sides remain at loggerheads in peace negotiations.
Wednesday’s vote marks the first successful effort by lawmakers to force the United States to end a conflict whose devastating effects have grown from the deaths of thousands of civilians to the disruption of global trade.
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It also comes as opposition to the conflict has grown significantly within President Trump’s Republican base, both because of the impact on the American people themselves and because of President Trump’s failure to quickly secure a concrete and lasting agreement with Iran.
But for now, the vote will remain largely symbolic, even if it means a serious rebuke from lawmakers, due to President Trump’s own veto of the bill and Republican dominance in the House and Senate.
Here’s what happened, why it matters, and why it doesn’t mean President Trump can’t or won’t launch a new attack against Iran.
what happened?
On Wednesday, Democratic-led House members voted in favor of invoking the War Powers Act, which allows Congress to force a cessation of hostilities if the president does not give permission after entering an armed conflict overseas.
Since the war began, Democrats have argued that the right to declare war rests with Congress, not the president. Based on that argument, they have repeatedly tried to force a halt to the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
However, the Trump administration countered that military operations in Iran do not require Congressional approval.
The War Powers Act, which has been in effect since 1973, requires presidents to obtain approval from lawmakers before engaging in armed conflict.
The president can unilaterally send troops only if an attack on the United States is imminent. In such cases, the President must notify Congress within 48 hours.
If Congress subsequently fails to declare war, the president must withdraw troops within 60 days of entering the war.
In the case of war against Iran, critics argued that the United States was not under immediate threat and that the United States and Israel would have struck first.
President Trump also failed to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops sent to fight the war around April 29, 60 days after the war began.
House Democrats, who hold a minority seat in the House, have tried to invoke the law three times since the U.S. and Israel went to war on February 28, but all previous attempts have failed.
How did the House vote?
Wednesday’s vote was 215 votes in favor of the resolution to suppress Trump and 208 votes against.
The Democrats’ success came after four Republicans switched sides, appearing to publicly denounce President Trump’s policies.
Although Republicans staunchly supported the war in public at its outset, the mood has changed markedly as the U.S. economy and global trade have taken a major hit. President Trump’s approval rating also fell significantly.
Sens. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky broke with party lines two weeks ago when the last vote was cast. On Wednesday, they were joined by Penn State’s Brian Fitzpatrick.
Will the House vote limit President Trump’s actions?
Not necessarily. For now, the yes vote is largely symbolic.
The resolution would also need to pass in the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow majority.
Senate Democrats are pushing for a vote to begin the process of forcing the U.S. to end the war, but Senate Republicans have so far garnered enough votes to reject the proposal.
The latest vote to move forward with the withdrawal process took place two weeks ago, with a 50-47 vote in the 100-member Senate. Four Republicans joined Democrats in voting yes, but Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against the bill.
The results reflected growing disapproval among Republican senators, but the tallies were not high enough.
Even if the Senate follows the House in imposing restrictions on Trump’s war against Iran, Trump could veto the resolution.
In that case, Congress would need to pass the bill with a two-thirds majority to override the president’s veto. It’s not impossible. However, that may be unrealistic in the current situation. Although some Republicans are dissatisfied, most remain publicly supportive of Trump.
Is America really at war?
Next, there is the question of whether the United States is currently at war and whether the resolution applies at all.
The ceasefire between the US and Iran has been in place since April 8, although it is fragile. The Trump administration claims this means the United States is not technically at war at this point.
Despite the US continuing to blockade Iranian ports and attack Iranian shipping, President Trump declared on May 1 that the ceasefire would mean an “end” to hostilities. Iran also continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised the argument as he confronted lawmakers during a series of hearings on the war on Tuesday and Wednesday. Lawmakers asked him to provide more information about the U.S.’s plans to exit the Iran conflict, as well as details about its plans for Venezuela, where the U.S. abducted President Nicolas Maduro in January.
“The (Iran) war is over,” Rubio declared in a sharp exchange with Democratic Sen. Cory Booker.
But Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, accused Mr. Rubio of lacking accountability and failing to provide Congress with accurate information.
“While the United States is carrying out attacks against Iran and Iran is bombing American embassies and bases across the Middle East, we have sent a war powers notice to Congress stating that the United States is not actively hostile to Iran,” she said.
“That wasn’t a consultation. It was an attempt to avoid answering to this committee and Congress about this war.”
Can the US restart the war against Iran?
Some members of the Trump administration believe so.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth argued on May 12 that the 60-day moratorium given to the president under the War Powers Act to send troops meant the administration could launch another attack on Iran without approval from lawmakers.
In testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Hegseth argued that the April 8 ceasefire essentially reset the original schedule.
“If the president decides to restart (the war against Iran), we will have all the necessary authorities in place to do so,” he said.
