House Republicans on Thursday canceled a vote on a War Powers Resolution to end President Trump’s war against Iran as it became clear they didn’t have the votes to defeat the measure. The delay means that the House won’t take up the bill until after lawmakers return from their Memorial Day recess.
“Republicans just prevented the House from voting on a War Powers Resolution because they knew it would pass,” Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) wrote on X.
“Republicans can run from Trump’s disastrous war, but they can’t hide. Thousands are dead and gas and grocery prices are up, and progressives will not stop demanding votes on War Powers Resolution until the war is actually ended,” Casar added.
The last vote in the House on an Iran War Powers resolution was narrowly defeated in a 212-212 tie, as momentum to pass the bill continues to grow in both chambers of Congress. On Tuesday, the Senate advanced an Iran War Powers resolution in a 50-47 procedural vote, though the legislation still needs a final vote before the Senate version would be sent to the House.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who introduced the House War Powers Resolution, said the effort was receiving more support from Republicans because they’re facing pressure from constituents facing rising gas prices as a result of Trump’s war, which is extremely unpopular among Americans.
The cancellation of the vote comes as the US and Israel could restart the full-scale bombing campaign at any time and as the US continues to enforce the blockade against Iran, an act of war that a War Powers Resolution would direct Trump to end. The bill isn’t close to gaining a veto-proof majority, but its passage would mark a significant rebuke of the president and would make it more politically difficult for him to escalate.
Trump administration officials have been maneuvering to circumvent the 1973 War Powers Act, which was passed to rein in the Executive Branch’s disregard for the Constitution’s requirement that Congress has the sole power to declare war.
The law includes a 60-day deadline for the president to end any unauthorized military action or obtain authorization from Congress, which has been falsely reinterpreted to give the president 60 days to wage war without congressional authorization.
The 60-day deadline for the Iran war expired on May 1, and the administration has tried to claim that the ceasefire should have paused the clock, but the blockade means the US military is still engaged in hostilities against the country.
According to a report from NBC News, the Pentagon is considering renaming the war with Iran from “Operation Epic Fury” to “Operation Sledgehammer,” and the White House believes giving the conflict a new name would reset the War Powers clock. But all of the hostilities are clearly still part of the same war that the US and Israel launched on February 28.