House Passes Iran War Powers Resolution 215-208 as Four Republicans Defect

The House voted 215 to 208 on Wednesday to pass a war powers resolution directing President Trump to end hostilities with Iran, the first time the chamber has taken such a step in a war that began Feb. 28, NPR and PBS NewsHour reported. The Associated Press called it a rebuke of the president, and NPR called it the clearest yet of his handling of the conflict and its economic fallout.

Four Republicans joined Democrats in support, NPR reported: Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. The vote had originally been set for two weeks earlier. NPR said Republican leaders sent members home early for a May recess when it looked as if the measure had enough Republican votes to pass, and PBS said Speaker Mike Johnson abruptly stopped floor action. The extra break did not change enough minds to kill it.

Fitzpatrick framed his vote as a question of law rather than of the war’s merits. “We have to follow the law,” he told reporters, according to NPR. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, a president has 60 days to end hostilities without congressional authorization, with the option of a 30-day extension. “We’re past the 60 days, so you have two choices. You either follow the law or you change the law,” Fitzpatrick said.

Johnson defended Trump’s decision to attack Iran before the vote. “Remember, Iran declared war on us 47 years ago. They chant ‘death to America.’ The president is trying to keep the people safe,” he told reporters, NPR reported. The administration has questioned the constitutionality of the War Powers Act. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said earlier in the week that “this reckless and costly war of choice needs to end today,” PBS reported.

NPR described the vote as mostly symbolic. Democrats have tried repeatedly, without success, to pass a war powers resolution through the Republican-led Senate, and even if Congress sent one to the president he would almost certainly veto it. Senate Democrats are hopeful about momentum: last month a handful of Republicans joined them on a procedural measure to set up a vote, and a final vote has not been scheduled.

The vote came more than 90 days into a conflict that has no clear end in sight. Some Republicans have voiced frustration, NPR said, and talks to end the war have not gained clear traction, casting doubt on a fragile ceasefire. Just hours before the vote, Iran and the United States traded strikes in the Persian Gulf. PBS reported separately that Iranian drones struck Kuwait’s main airport that day, killing one person. Another PBS headline said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, testifying on Capitol Hill, was assuring Congress that talks with Iran are continuing.

The House also dealt Republican leaders a second rebuke on Ukraine. Six Republicans joined Democrats to advance a measure providing aid to Ukraine, setting it up for a final-passage vote, NPR reported. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, said he hoped to add more Republican votes.