Four House Republicans helped Democrats pass a war powers resolution on Wednesday to end hostilities with Iran.
The 215-208 vote is largely symbolic because even if the war powers measure were to pass the Senate, President Trump would certainly veto it.
But it deals a real blow to the president’s leverage to negotiate a peace deal with Iran that he says must ensure they end their ambitions to produce a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Trump has said the Iranians have brought up Democrats’ repeated war powers votes.
“How do you feel when you’re negotiating, you’re winning every point, and they say, ’But in Washington, they want to stop you from negotiating,’” he said last month. “It’s only political. It’s the Democrats. They’re dumb.”
Those comments have not stopped the growing war powers momentum in Congress.
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the war powers vote does not undercut Mr. Trump’s ability to negotiate a peace deal, but rather reinforces Americans’ desire for the war to end.
“My concern is, if I’m going to be honest, we kind of heard the president’s answer already,” Mr. Meeks said. “He doesn’t care about anybody. He doesn’t care about the financial well-being of the American people. That’s his words. But we have to stand up and speak out and be the voice of the American people.”
The House Republicans who voted for the war powers resolution on Wednesday were Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Warren Davidson of Ohio.
In the Senate, GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan M. Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul helped Democrats advance a war powers resolution last month.
The procedural vote discharged the measure from committee, allowing it to get an up-or-down vote on the floor. The final vote has not yet been scheduled.
Mr. Paul and Mr. Massie have consistently supported the war powers resolutions that Democrats have forced votes on throughout the duration of the Iran conflict.
Most other Republicans got on board after the president failed to meet a 60-day legal deadline to obtain congressional authorization for the war.
“I follow the law,” Mr. Fitzpatrick said. “People have a hard time being consistent around here. They apply different rules to different presidents, different wars, different eras. The law is the law.”
Mr. Cassidy’s support came a little later, after he lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger.
Mr. Davidson opposed a previous war powers measure that failed in a tie vote before supporting Wednesday’s version.
Mr. Trump notified Congress on the 60-day legal deadline set by the War Powers Act that he viewed hostilities as “terminated” in light of a ceasefire with Iran. However, multiple strikes have taken place since then.
Mr. Barrett has proposed that Congress pass a 90-day authorization for use of military force to define formally the war’s objectives and to prevent boots on the ground, except for rescue and intelligence missions.
Mr. Davidson is also advocating for a congressional authorization to define and authorize the mission in Iran, saying it will show the military that the American people have their backs as they execute the mission.
“I don’t want them to have a second thought ever about their cover for the authority for the things we ask them to engage in,” he said earlier Thursday during a Foreign Affairs Committee hearing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Mr. Rubio said the administration has not asked Congress for authorization because it already has the authority needed.
“Obviously anything that provides congressional support for the president’s efforts to take on Hezbollah, Hamas — the threats they pose to the United States — and ultimately Iran, it would be a positive,” he said. “But we haven’t asked for it because we believe every operation that has been conducted is well within the law as it exists.”
Contact the author
Please read our comment policy before commenting.