The U.S. Capitol is seen Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
A bipartisan majority in the Republican-led House voted on
Wednesday to end the war with Iran, the clearest rebuke yet of President
Trump's handling of the conflict and the subsequent economic fallout.
The war powers resolution passed by a vote of 215 to 208, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support.
The
resolution had originally been set for a vote two weeks ago, but
Republican leaders sent House members home early for a May recess when
it appeared the largely Democratic-backed measure had enough Republican
votes for passage. However, the extended break didn't shift GOP support
to kill the measure.
Ahead of the vote, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., defended President Trump's decision to attack Iran.
"Remember … Iran declared war on us 47 years ago. They chant
'death to America.' The president is trying to keep the people safe,"
Johnson told reporters.
The vote is mostly symbolic. Democrats,
despite multiple attempts, have been unable to pass a war powers
resolution through the Republican-led Senate. Even if the measure passed
in Congress, it would almost certainly be vetoed by President Trump,
whose administration has questioned the constitutionality of the War
Powers Act.
Trump blasted the vote in a post on social media Thursday. He wrote:
"Yesterday,
in a meaningless vote, the House voted, 4 bad Republicans and all of
the Dumocrats, to limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final
negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Who would
do such an unpatriotic thing. They know where the negotiations stand.
The Democrats are fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome. They would
rather have our Country fail than give me another, of many, victories.
The four Republicans, that's a whole other story - They're
GRANDSTANDERS! They should be ashamed of themselves. MAGA!!! President
DJT."
House Democrats celebrated the vote, and called on the Senate to follow suit.
"Following repeated attempts to get sycophants in the
Republican-controlled House to join us, House Democrats successfully
passed our War Powers Resolution today to stand up for the American
people and hold Donald Trump accountable. It is now time for Senate
Republicans to do the right thing," read a statement from Minority
Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and his top two deputies, Katherine Clark of
Massachusetts and California's Pete Aguilar.
In the Senate,
Democrats are hopeful their efforts may be gaining momentum. Last month,
they won support on a procedural measure to set up a war powers vote
after a handful of Republicans broke ranks to join them. A final vote
has yet to be scheduled.
The administration has furiously
pushed against the effort in both the House and Senate. Wednesday's vote
signals his support for the war may be slipping even among some members
of his own party.
Now more than 90 days into the conflict,
some Republicans have expressed frustration that the war does not appear
to have a clear end in sight. Talks to end the war have yet to gain
clear traction, casting doubt on a fragile ceasefire. Just hours before
the vote, Iran and the U.S. traded strikes in the Persian Gulf.
The conflict began on Feb 28 with strikes by U.S. and Israeli
forces on Iran. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, the president has 60 days
to end hostilities if there has been no congressional authorization –
though he is able to seek a 30-day extension. The same law also gives
Congress the ability to end hostilities by voting on a resolution to end
military action, subject to presidential veto.
Rep. Brian
Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., told reporters after the vote he chose to support
the resolution because, "we have to follow the law," referring to the
War Powers Act.
"We're past the 60 days, so you have two
choices. You either follow the law or you change the law. You can't
violate the law. That's not an option," Fitzpatrick said.
Fitzpatrick was joined in supporting the resolution by three other
Republicans: Tom Barrett of Michigan, Ohio's Warren Davidson and Thomas
Massie of Kentucky.
Following the Iran vote, top Republicans
were also rebuked on a measure to provide aid to Ukraine. Six
Republicans joined Democrats to move the measure forward, setting it up
for a vote for final passage.
The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said he's hoping to shore up even more GOP votes to help Ukraine.
"Three
years down the road they are still fighting for their own freedom,"
said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y. "We can't let them down."
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