House rejects Iran war powers measure
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Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie outside the Justice Department on Feb. 9. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
The House on Thursday rejected an effort to advance legislation that would restrict President Trump from using further military action in Iran.
Why it matters: The failed vote amounts to an endorsement of Trump's military campaign in Iran from Congress, which has the constitutional authority to declare war.
- The 212-219 vote comes one day after the Senate rejected a similar measure, mainly along party lines.
- Two Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Warren Davison (R-Ohio) — voted with the majority of Democrats in support of the measure.
- Four Democrats — Reps. Jared Golden (Maine), Henry Cuellar (Texas) and Greg Landsman (Ohio) and Juan Vargas (Calif.) — voted against it.
Between the lines: A handful of Democrats are backing a resolution that would give the Trump administration more leeway, directing the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran within 30 days of the Feb. 28 attack, barring congressional approval.
- The stronger measure the House voted on Thursday had the backing of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and the rest of Democratic leadership, putting Thursday's opponents on an island.
The big picture: The vote follows several days of classified Capitol Hill briefings from top Trump officials that left both parties questioning how long the U.S. operation in Iran will last.
- Congressional Republicans have largely rallied behind the military campaign, though some GOP lawmakers have drawn red lines on sending ground troops or raised concerns that the war could drag out longer than anticipated.
- Democrats have argued that the administration has failed to provide sufficient justification for and information about the attack.
What they're saying: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday that passage of a War Powers resolution would "empower our enemies."
- "Congress has a constitutional right to exercise its oversight authority, and we will, but we also have a duty and obligation not to undercut our own national security," Johnson said.
- "The moral hazard posed by a government no longer constrained by the constitution is a grave threat," Davidson, one of the two Republicans to support the measure, said in a floor speech Wednesday.
What's next: The Pentagon is preparing to send Congress a supplemental funding request, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said.
Editor's note: This story was updated with more information.
