House Rejects War Powers Resolution, Allowing Trump’s Iran Operation to Proceed
The bipartisan measure, introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), aimed to invoke the 1973 War Powers Act to assert congressional oversight.
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives voted 212-219 Thursday to reject a War Powers Resolution that would have required President Trump to halt military action against Iran within 30 days unless Congress approved it, following the Senate's similar rejection amid broad support for the ongoing operation.
The bipartisan measure, introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), aimed to invoke the 1973 War Powers Act to assert congressional oversight. It failed largely along party lines, with all Republicans except Massie and Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) opposing it, joined by four Democrats. The outcome avoids a potential veto by Trump and underscores confidence in his authority as commander-in-chief to address Iranian threats.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) argued the resolution would undermine U.S. security, while Khanna criticized unchecked executive power. The vote reflects limited appetite for constraining the president during active hostilities.
To date, the military action—entering its eighth day—has involved over 2,000 strikes achieving air superiority, degrading nuclear and missile sites, sinking an Iranian warship, and eliminating key regime leaders, prompting Iranian retaliations including tanker attacks, drone strikes on the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, and missile barrages on Gulf allies, with six American service members killed. Reinforcements continue, with Trump projecting four to five weeks of targeted operations to secure U.S. and allied interests.