House blocks war powers resolution that would have curbed Trump’s actions in Iran

The House Thursday shot down a war powers resolution that aimed to stop President Trump from taking further military action in Iran without congressional backing, a day after the Senate blocked a similar measure.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, Kentucky Republican, and backed by Democrats, failed in a 212-219 vote.

The Senate voted against a similar Democrat-led war powers resolution Wednesday, with only one Republican, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, voting in support of the resolution, and only one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voting against it.

The war powers votes come as concern rises that the U.S. is heading for another lengthy war with the Middle East. Arguments over whether the strikes on Iran, as part of Operation Epic Fury, were done preemptively or defensively have taken over the discourse.

The administration and Republicans say Iran is an imminent threat, and the strikes that began Saturday are a way to stop the U.S. from getting hit harder if the administration had waited. Democrats, however, say the intelligence shared in multiple classified briefings this week don’t show an imminent threat.

Rep. Brian Mast, Florida Republican, chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, thanked Mr. Trump on the House floor Wednesday for “defending America from an imminent threat…that no other president has had the guts to stand up to.”

“We have seen Iran as an imminent threat against America, not just for the last four days, not just for the last four months or four years, but for the last 40 years,” he said. “Why do they continue to be an imminent threat? Because they have never faced an imminent response until President Trump.”

Rep. Gregory Meeks, New York Democrat, said Mr. Trump and Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth both use the word “war” to describe the operation in Iran, but they never sought congressional approval for the war.

“The question is, was there any imminent threat requiring the use of force. The administration has not presented one,” Mr. Meeks said on the House floor Wednesday. “In fact, the word ‘imminent’ does not appear even once in the administration’s own war powers notification.”

“This is a war of choice that was launched by this administration without authorization, without clearly stating objectives or defined endgame and without explaining how they intend to keep Americans safe,” he said. 

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Arizona Democrat, and an Iranian-American, said that she “celebrates” the death of the Iranian Supreme Leader, but thinks the American people deserve a “clear plan.”

“I have spent my entire life opposing the Islamic republic and its brutality… at the same time, as an American congresswoman, who swore an oath to the United States Constitution, I am deeply concerned by President Trump’s decision to launch an illegal war,” she said.

The House also passed a bill Thursday that reaffirms that Iran remains the largest state sponsor of terrorism, in a 372-53 vote. The bill was sponsored by Mr. Mast, who also voted against the war powers resolution.