US House backs resolution seeking end to Trump’s Iran war

WASHINGTON: The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a resolution aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from continuing the war against Iran, in a sign of rising concern within his own party over the conflict that has now lasted three months.

The chamber voted 215-208 in favour of the war powers measure. Four Republicans joined Democrats in supporting it, while no Democrat voted against it. Seven House members did not cast a vote. The resolution directs Trump to withdraw US troops from Iran unless Congress declares war or authorises the use of military force.

The vote marked the first time the Republican-led House has approved a measure intended to force Trump to scale back military operations against Tehran since the conflict began. Even so, the measure is not immediately binding. It would also need Senate approval to take effect, and there is also debate over whether such war powers resolutions would be constitutional even if Congress passes them.

The House action was the latest congressional setback for Trump despite narrow Republican majorities in both chambers. It also underscored rare bipartisan support for limiting presidential war powers as the war entered its fourth month. Three earlier war powers resolutions had failed in the House, though by narrowing margins, and Republican leaders postponed a vote on the current measure last month when its passage appeared possible.

Republican defections and Senate track

The four Republicans who voted for the resolution were Representatives Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

In the Senate, lawmakers advanced a separate but similar resolution in a procedural vote last month after seven earlier attempts had failed. Further votes on that measure have not yet been scheduled.

Broader pushback inside Congress

Trump has recently encountered resistance from some Republicans in Congress after months in which few in the party openly challenged his policy agenda. On the same day, the House approved a procedural motion clearing the way for a vote on the Ukraine Support Act, which would provide security assistance to Ukraine in its war against Russia. That measure reached the floor after a petition secured the required 218 signatures last month. Six Republicans and one independent who usually votes with Republicans backed the Ukraine step.

Republican lawmakers have also pushed back against Trump’s proposal for a weaponisation fund intended to compensate political allies who said they had been subjected to government abuse. On Wednesday, Republicans additionally criticised Trump’s choice of loyalist Bill Pulte, a mortgage regulator with no national security background, to serve as acting director of national intelligence.

Democratic criticism of the war

Democrats have urged Trump to seek congressional authorisation for military action against Iran, arguing that under the US Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. They have also warned that the president may have drawn the United States into a prolonged conflict without presenting a clear strategy.

They further linked the war to rising costs for consumers, pointing to higher prices for gasoline, food and other goods since joint US-Israeli air strikes on Iran began on February 28. US producer prices recorded their sharpest increase in four years in April, driven by surging costs for goods and services since the war started.

Representative Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the resolution and is the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said after the vote:

"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"

House Foreign Affairs Committee Democrats said in a post on X:

"This is a loud and unambiguous message to Donald Trump on behalf of the American people: it’s time to end his deeply unpopular and illegal war of choice in Iran"

The Trump administration has defended the war as necessary for US national security, saying there is an urgent need to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. Republican opponents of the war powers resolutions, meanwhile, have dismissed them as political theatre by Democrats aimed at weakening the United States and scoring points against Trump.