House Republicans on Thursday, May 21, sidestepped a vote on a Democratic-led War Powers Resolution measure that would have forced President Donald Trump to end U.S. military action in Iran or get Congress’s approval to continue it.
Instead of holding the planned vote, GOP leaders pulled the resolution, citing attendance issues.
Democrats immediately pounced, accusing Republicans of dodging their constitutional duty to check presidential power because they refuse to stand up to Trump.
Rep. Brittany Pettersen, a Colorado Democrat, said the move showed House Republicans are too weak to follow the Constitution and too loyal to Trump to do their jobs.
The 1973 War Powers Resolution
The resolution invoked the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which limits a president’s ability to keep troops in hostilities for more than 60 days without congressional authorization.
The conflict with Iran began in late February when U.S. and Israeli forces launched strikes.
More than 80 days later, the fighting continues without a formal declaration of war or specific authorization from Congress.
Trump and Republican leaders insist the president has the authority to act on his own to protect American interests.
They argue that pulling out now would only strengthen Iran’s Islamic regime and put the United States and its allies at greater risk. Ending the war, they say, is not as simple as flipping a switch.
This was not the first time the House had avoided a clear stand. Last week, Republicans narrowly rejected a similar war powers resolution.
Attendance issues again played a role Thursday, with party leaders apparently worried they lacked the votes to block the measure outright.
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Democrats pointed out that a cleaner version of the resolution was on the table this time.
Centrist Rep. Jared Golden of Maine had voted against the earlier one because it set a March 30 withdrawal deadline that had already passed.
Golden said he would support a straightforward resolution without that language. Even so, Republicans chose not to bring it to the floor.
The Senate has shown more willingness to push back. On Tuesday, it advanced a similar measure for the first time in eight attempts.
The vote was 50-47, with four Republicans joining Democrats. They were Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.
Cassidy’s support stood out as he had just lost his GOP primary to a Trump-backed candidate. His vote marked the first time he backed such a resolution.
Some saw it as a sign of shifting pressure as the war drags on and its costs mount at home.
Rising gas prices, higher inflation worries, and American lives lost have fueled public frustration with the conflict.
Democrats have used that discontent to hammer Republicans for giving Trump a blank check.
House GOP Delays War Powers Resolution Vote on Iran Conflict Again
The House has now blocked or delayed multiple efforts to rein in the president’s actions.
GOP leaders maintain they are standing behind a strong national security policy even as critics say they are simply avoiding a tough vote that could split their party or anger Trump.
Under the Constitution, Congress holds the power to declare war. The War Powers Resolution was passed after the Vietnam War to prevent presidents from keeping the country in long conflicts without lawmakers’ input.
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In practice, presidents from both parties have tested their limits, and Congress has rarely forced the issue.
With the war, which has already stretched past the 60-day mark and no clear end in sight, Democrats argue the moment demands real oversight, not excuses about attendance.
Republicans maintain that the resolution is mostly a political stunt designed to embarrass the president.
They say forcing a sudden withdrawal would hand Iran a victory and weaken America’s position in the Middle East.
