The House narrowly turned down Thursday a measure to stop attacks on Iran, an early indicator of anxiety in Congress over the rapidly reshaping U.S. priorities at home and abroad.
It marks the second vote in two days, following split along party lines. Lawmakers are grappling with the abrupt reality of representing cautious Americans during wartime and all that involves — including , funds expended and alliances strained by a president’s unilateral decision to engage in .
Though the House tally of 212-219 was anticipated to be close, the result offered a clear picture of political backing for and opposition to the U.S.-Israel military operation and for sidelining Congress, which alone holds the power to declare war. At the Capitol, the conflict has quickly evoked memories of the long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many veterans from the post-Sept. 11 era now serve in Congress.
“Donald Trump is not a king, and if he thinks the war with Iran serves our national interest, he must come to Congress and present his case,” stated Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The House also passed a separate measure confirming that Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism.
Republicans largely back Trump, and most Democrats oppose the war
Trump’s Republican Party, which holds narrow control of the House and Senate, mostly views the Iran conflict not as the start of a new war but as the end of a government that has long threatened the West. The operation has killed , which some see as a chance for regime change, though others warn of a chaotic power vacuum.
Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, publicly thanked Trump for acting against Iran, saying the president is using his constitutional authority to defend the U.S. from the “imminent threat” Iran posed.
Mast, an Army veteran who worked as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, argued the war powers resolution was essentially asking “that the president do nothing.”
For Democrats, Trump’s attack on Iran — influenced by — is a voluntary war testing the constitutional balance of powers.
“The framers meant business,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., emphasizing the Constitution clearly gives Congress sole authority over war. “That’s our job.”
While congressional views mostly align with party lines, there are cross-party coalitions. If signed into law, the war powers resolution would have immediately halted Trump’s ability to conduct the war unless Congress approved the military action. The president would likely veto it.
Trump officials provide shifting rationale for war
After launching a surprise attack on Iran Saturday, Trump has rushed to gain support for a conflict that Americans of all political stripes were . Trump administration officials spent hours in closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill this week trying to reassure lawmakers they have the situation under control.
over the weekend in a drone strike in Kuwait, and Trump has warned more Americans could die. Thousands of Americans abroad have , with many flooding congressional office phone lines seeking help fleeing the Middle East.
On Thursday, Trump said he in choosing Iran’s new leader. Yet , R-La., noted this week that America has enough domestic problems and isn’t entering the “nation-building business.”
said the war could last eight weeks — twice as long as the president initially estimated. Trump has left open the possibility of sending U.S. troops into what has mostly been an aerial bombing campaign. More than in Iran have died.
The administration said its goal is to destroy Iran’s ballistic missiles, which it claims shield its nuclear program. It also stated Israel was ready to act, and U.S. bases would face retaliation if America didn’t strike Iran first. On Wednesday, the U.S. said it near Sri Lanka.
“This administration can’t even give us a straight answer about why we launched this preemptive war,” said Rep. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who is an outlier in his party.
Massie and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. — who teamed up to force the release of Jeffrey Epstein files — also pushed the war powers resolution to the floor, overcoming objections from Johnson’s GOP leadership. Another Republican, Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio, a former Army Ranger, was also expected to back the resolution.
Johnson has warned that limiting the president’s authority while U.S. forces are in conflict would be “dangerous.”
“Congress must stand with the president to finally close this dark chapter of history once and for all,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., said that as the daughter of Iranian immigrants who fled their homeland, she celebrates Khamenei’s death. But she warned that a democratic transition for Iran’s people never seems to be a priority for Trump and his officials who briefed lawmakers.
“War carries profound and deadly consequences for our troops, the American people and the entire world,” she said. “It’s the most serious decision a nation can make, and the American people deserve debate, transparency and accountability before that choice is made.”
Other Democrats have proposed an alternative resolution that would let the president continue the war for 30 days before seeking congressional approval. It isn’t yet scheduled for a vote.
Senators sit in their desks for solemn vote
In the Senate, Republican leaders have narrowly but successfully defeated a series of war powers resolutions related to other conflicts during Trump’s second term. This one, however, was different.
Underscoring the moment’s gravity Wednesday, Democratic senators filled the chamber and sat at their desks as voting began.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said before the vote that every senator would take a side. “Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted by forever wars in the Middle East, or with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they blunder us into another war?”
Sen. John Barrasso, second in Senate Republican leadership, said, “Democrats would rather obstruct Donald Trump than obliterate Iran’s national nuclear program.”
The legislation failed in a 47-53 vote mostly along party lines, with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., in favor and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., against it.