House votes to curb Trump’s Iran war powers as 4 Republicans join Democrats

Four Republicans join House Democrats to send bill to the US Senate restricting President Trump’s ability to wage war with Iran.

By World Israel News Staff

The House voted Wednesday to restrict President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military action against Iran, delivering a bipartisan rebuke to the administration as unease grows over the three-month-old conflict.

The resolution passed 215-208, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support. The GOP defectors were Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan and Warren Davidson of Ohio.

The measure directs Trump to end the use of US armed forces in hostilities against Iran unless Congress declares war or formally authorizes military action. It now heads to the Senate, where a similar effort advanced last month but has not yet received a final vote.

The House vote marked the first time the chamber approved a war powers measure aimed at the Iran conflict after several earlier attempts failed or were delayed.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and sponsor of the resolution, said the vote showed Congress was beginning to reassert its constitutional role over matters of war.

“Congress has followed the Constitution today — Democrats and Republicans said enough is enough,” Meeks said after the vote, according to ABC News. “It is time to end this war. It is time for the president to tell the American people why we entered this war.”

In a separate statement, Meeks called the vote a “significant bipartisan rebuke” of Trump’s “illegal and costly war” in Iran.

“Trump’s war has failed to accomplish the Trump administration’s stated goals with respect to Iran. If anything, it has pushed a diplomatic resolution of Iran’s nuclear program further away,” he said.

The resolution is not expected to immediately halt US military operations.

As a concurrent resolution, it is not sent to the president for a signature, and its legal force remains disputed even if the Senate adopts it.

But supporters said the vote sends a clear message that Congress is increasingly unwilling to allow the war to continue without authorization.

House Speaker Mike Johnson opposed the measure, warning before the vote that limiting Trump’s authority could weaken US leverage in negotiations.

“I think it is a very dangerous prospect to take away from the administration and the commander-in-chief right now the ability to negotiate,” Johnson said.

Johnson has said Trump remains focused on ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, where Iranian disruptions have affected global commerce and energy markets.

The Trump administration has argued that military action against Iran is needed to protect US national security and prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

A White House official told ABC News after the vote that Trump would continue to act under his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief while remaining transparent with Congress.

The debate comes after the United States joined Israel in launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28, beginning a conflict that has carried heavy political and economic consequences. Lawmakers opposed to the war have pointed to higher gas and consumer prices, continued instability around the Strait of Hormuz and the lack of a clear path to a durable settlement.

Although a ceasefire was declared in April, the situation has remained fragile. US-Iran military exchanges have continued to flare, and broader regional diplomacy has been complicated by Israel’s parallel confrontation with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned lawmakers Wednesday that approving a war powers resolution could embolden Tehran by signaling that the administration’s hands were tied in future negotiations.

Democrats rejected that argument, saying Congress has an obligation to act when a president commits US forces to sustained hostilities without explicit authorization.

“The passage of this WPR today signals a significant turning point: more and more Republicans are listening to their constituents who do not want another open-ended war in the Middle East,” Meeks said.

The Senate has not scheduled a final vote on its own Iran war powers resolution.