By The Washington Times (Politics) | Created at 2026-06-03 22:21:29 | Updated at 2026-06-07 11:04:50
3 days ago
Four House Republicans helped Democrats pass a war powers resolution on Wednesday to end hostilities with Iran.
The 215-208 vote is largely symbolic because even if the war powers measure were to pass the Senate, Mr. Trump would certainly veto it.
But it deals a real blow to the president’s leverage to negotiate a peace deal with Iran that he says must ensure they end their ambitions to produce a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Trump has said the Iranians have brought up Democrats’ repeated war powers votes.
“How do you feel when you’re negotiating, you’re winning every point, and they say, ’But in Washington, they want to stop you from negotiating,’” he said last month. “It’s only political. It’s the Democrats. They’re dumb.”
Those comments have not stopped the growing war powers momentum in Congress.
The House Republicans who voted for the war powers resolution on Wednesday were Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Warren Davidson of Ohio.
In the Senate, GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul helped Democrats advance a war powers resolution last month.
The procedural vote discharged the measure from committee, allowing it to get an up-or-down vote on the floor. The final vote has not yet been scheduled.
Mr. Paul and Mr. Massie have consistently supported the war powers resolutions that Democrats have forced votes on throughout the duration of the Iran conflict.
Most other Republicans got on board after the president failed to meet a 60-day legal deadline to obtain congressional authorization for the war.
Mr. Cassidy’s support came a little later, after he lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger.
Mr. Davidson opposed a previous war powers measure that failed in a tie vote before supporting Wednesday’s version.
Mr. Trump notified Congress on the 60-day legal deadline set by the War Powers Act that he viewed hostilities as “terminated” in light of a ceasefire with Iran. However, multiple strikes have taken place since then.
Mr. Barrett has proposed that Congress pass a 90-day authorization for use of military force to formally define the war’s objectives and prevent boots on the ground, except for rescue and intelligence missions.
