Iran ceasefire upends congressional fight to limit Trump's war powers
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President Trump monitors U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in the White House Situation Room on June 21. Photo: Daniel Torok/The White House via Getty Images
President Trump's abrupt announcement Monday that a ceasefire in the Iran-Israel war is imminent threatens a congressional effort to limit his power to initiate unilateral military strikes on Iran.
Why it matters: The lead House Republican on the push is getting cold feet, but non-interventionist Democrats still want to have the vote in order to send a broader message about congressional war powers.
- "We may ... have a conflict in the future, and we need to be on record saying no offensive war in Iran without prior authorization," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told Axios.
- It may be a moot point: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) had signaled plans to use a procedural work-around to block rank-and-file members from forcing a war powers vote.
The latest: House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) is introducing his own war powers resolution, Axios has learned.
- His two-page measure would direct Trump to "remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran," according to a copy obtained by Axios.
- The measure is also sponsored by Reps. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the top Democrats on the House Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
Driving the news: Trump said in a post on Truth Social that Israel and Iran had agreed to a "Complete and Total CEASEFIRE ... in approximately 6 hours from now."
- Trump said the ceasefire will last for 12 hours, "at which point the war will be considered, ENDED!"
- The ceasefire was mediated by Qatar and the U.S. after Iran sent the White House a message saying no further strikes would follow its attack on a U.S. base in Qatar, Axios Barak Ravid reported.
What they're saying: "If there's a ceasefire, we don't need to withdraw from a war," Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the lead Republican on the war powers resolution, told reporters after Trump's announcement.
- The libertarian Kentuckian said he told Johnson he "wouldn't push" the resolution "if the ceasefire holds."
- Massie has been locked in an increasingly adversarial relationship with Trump — with the president's political operation even launching a PAC to defeat him in his GOP primary.
Yes, but: Khanna told Axios "we still need" a vote, arguing a ceasefire "makes it probably an easier vote for people to do, just to get it on record for Congress to take back its authority."
- Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), another supporter of the resolution, similarly told Axios: "I still think we need to do it."
- "This is a serious matter. Congress 'ought to debate this," he said. "I complained about when Obama took action without congressional authorization, I complained when Biden did as well."
