US House approves resolution to limit President Trump's authority on Iran conflict
The House passed a war-powers resolution with a narrow majority, while a similar measure failed in the Senate, marking the first congressional effort to curb the president’s war-making powers since the cease-fire collapsed.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 214-208 to adopt a resolution that would require President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval before further military action against Iran. The vote came a week after an Iranian strike on a Jordanian base killed three U.S. service members. A companion resolution in the Senate was defeated 49-47, with two Republicans abstaining.
Both chambers had earlier passed a June concurrent resolution urging the president to seek congressional consent, but that measure was not sent to the White House. Even if it had been a joint resolution, the president could have vetoed it, and overriding a veto would need a two-thirds majority in each chamber.
House Democrats said the latest vote signals legislative opposition to the administration’s approach following the breakdown of a July cease-fire. Representative Pramila Jayapal said, "This is a vote that requires us to find the strength to do what is right for the American people, and to send the clearest, even stronger message to this president of the United States that the United States Congress, the House of Representatives, is reasserting our authority over war."
Under the Constitution, only Congress can declare war, a power not exercised since World War II. The 1973 War Powers Act obliges the president to secure congressional authorization within 60 days of deploying troops. The Trump administration has argued that ongoing hostilities constitute self-defense, a position disputed by many legal scholars.
David Janovsky, acting director of The Constitution Project at the Project On Government Oversight, said the House vote "reaffirmed what people across the country have been saying all along: We want no part in an illegal war" and noted that the conflict has exceeded the constitutional deadline for an unauthorized war. He added that Congress should also reject funding requests for the conflict, referencing a recently approved $1.15 trillion defense bill that includes additional war funding.