Congress escalated its clash with the White House on Thursday as the House voted 214-208 to direct President Trump to end military hostilities with Iran. The bipartisan vote followed parallel action in the Senate and mounting casualties, even as the administration pursues supplemental funding for the conflict.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to direct President Donald Trump to halt military operations against Iran as fighting ramps up across the region. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—split from their party to support the measure alongside Democrats, resulting in a 214-208 tally. Introduced by Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, the resolution directs the president to remove the use of United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran or any part of its government or military, including potential ground forces in a combat role or used for occupation, without express authorization from Congress.
Bipartisan Defiance on Capitol Hill
Thursday’s vote marks the second time the House has voted to check the president’s ability to continue waging war, but the first after the ceasefire between the US and Iran ended. The vote came amid an escalation of the renewed conflict after a recent ceasefire came to an end.
The legislative rebukes come as the cost of the war escalates with no off-ramp in sight, and follow the deaths of several U.S. service members killed in Iranian attacks in the region. The bodies of four American service members killed during the Iran war returned to the United States in flag-draped cases on Wednesday.
It is absolutely crucial that we assert our Article I Constitutional powers, and — especially following the most recent hostilities in Iran — continue to show Congressional disapproval for this war,
Jayapal and Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado wrote in a letter to their Democratic colleagues ahead of the vote.
While concurrent resolutions, which are not presented to the president for signature or veto, lack the force of law, Democrats have repeatedly forced votes to limit Trump’s war powers in both the House and the Senate. The campaign has gradually picked up more GOP support in a sign of growing discontent within the party over the ongoing conflict. Some Democrats who champion the war powers efforts have argued that the concurrent resolutions are still legally binding.
There are multiple goals here. The main goal is we want to end this war, stop spending this money, stop putting our servicemembers' lives at risk. As Rep
White House Pushback and the Funding Battle
Mr. Trump has dismissed GOP concerns about the potential political ramifications that could play out in the midterm elections, though most Republicans continue to back the war despite the risks.
Congress is at a standstill over the U.S. war against Iran—unable to stop Trump’s military strikes, but not having authorized the use of American military force—and politically torn over having to provide billions of taxpayer dollars to pay for it. Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s Iran strategy, according to a recent AP-NORC poll.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators at a fiery hearing this week that the Pentagon is running short of cash, despite a massive $150 billion one-time allotment in last year’s big budget bill. The budget battle comes as Trump attended the dignified transfer of four service members killed in the Middle East, bringing the military death toll to 18.
Republicans plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on Trump's failed war in Iran,
said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, this week. Think about what we could spend with these resources instead.
Contrasting this view, Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the chairman of the Budget Committee, stated: Just bullets and bombs to finish the job.
The budget package has $60 billion for the Pentagon and $13 billion for other national security needs, $12 billion for farmers struggling under Trump’s tariffs and $10 billion for voting law changes aligned with the SAVE America Act. Even as the House action advanced the resolution, House Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy faces uncertainty in the Senate.
Legal Strategy and Senate Action
The Senate for the first time approved a war powers resolution Tuesday seeking to block US military action against Iran, as lawmakers warily watch President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve a conflict that the administration launched on its own and now needs Congress to fund. It was the 10th time the Senate has tried to stop the war, and the outcome, on a vote of 50-48, was a stunning turnaround from past efforts.
While the resolution is largely symbolic, and does not carry the full force of law, it reflects the growing concerns from a number of Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate over both the war and the deal Trump struck with Iran to end it.
Time after time, the vast majority of Senate Republicans sided with Trump and his war instead of the American people,
said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. Schumer said Americans have paid the price for Trump's historic blunder in Iran. It'll go down in the history books as one of the worst foreign policy forays America has ever made.
In the past, as many as four GOP senators have voted for the war powers resolutions, and they did so Tuesday—Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. One Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted against. On this vote, the absence of two Republicans, including Senator Mitch McConnell, was also noted. The Senate is set to vote on advancing a similar but separate measure later Thursday, specifically a joint resolution (S J Res 180) that would similarly direct the president to end the war, but would be binding if signed into law.
Sources: Cbsnews.
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