House rebukes Trump over war in Iran
· Axios
The House on Wednesday passed a resolution to rein in President Trump's military campaign in Iran.
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Why it matters: It's Congress' first successful rebuke of Trump's Iran war effort after multiple Democratic-led war powers attempts failed.
- Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), the one Democrat who has consistently voted against Iran war powers resolutions, flipped and voted yes.
- Four Republicans — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) — voted in support of the measure.
- The vote is largely symbolic, as the measure would still need to pass the GOP-controlled Senate — and even then, Trump could just veto it.
Catch up quick: Previous efforts to constrain Trump's military campaign in Iran repeatedly fell short.
- House GOP leadership abruptly pulled a scheduled vote late last month on the resolution after it became clear they did not have the votes to defeat it.
- House Democratic leaders called their Republican counterparts "cowardly" for pulling the vote in a statement.
- Democrats' other most recent attempt failed last month in a stunning 212-212 tie vote. Golden voted against that earlier resolution, while Massie, Fitzpatrick and Barrett supported it. Several lawmakers were absent.
The Senate last month advanced a separate war powers resolution through a procedural vote with support from four Republican senators.
- But three senators were absent, and the next procedural vote is expected to fail once attendance returns to full strength.
The big picture: Republicans have largely backed Trump's military campaign, but unease within the GOP has grown as the conflict has dragged on without congressional authorization and has sent U.S. gas prices rising.
- Some Republicans have pointed to the War Powers Act's 60-day deadline, which has now expired, as a turning point. That provision requires the withdrawal of U.S. forces after the deadine absent congressional approval
- The White House argues that the requirement doesn't apply because of the ceasefire the administration negotiated with Iran.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.