Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs. Photo / Ibrahim Amro, AFP
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs. Photo / Ibrahim Amro, AFP
The United States House of Representatives has rejected an effort to curb Donald Trump’s authority to wage war against Iran, as the President faces fierce criticism over launching the conflict without seeking approval from Congress.
Lawmakers voted down a bipartisan resolution led by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khannathat would have required Trump to obtain congressional authorisation before continuing military operations against Tehran.
The measure fell short by 212 votes to 219, a day after the Senate rejected a similar effort, underscoring Congress’ limited appetite – particularly among Republicans – for confronting the White House in the early days of the conflict.
Even if it had passed both chambers, Trump would have been able to veto the legislation – a step that would have required two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override, an almost impossible threshold in the current Congress.
The vote came less than a week after the US and Israel began a sweeping military campaign against Iran, targeting missile facilities, naval assets and other infrastructure.
The strikes have already killed senior Iranian Government officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and triggered retaliatory attacks across the region.
The conflict has also claimed American lives: six US service members were killed in a strike on a US base in Kuwait, intensifying pressure on lawmakers to weigh in on a war that Congress has not explicitly authorised.
Democrats – who are expected to push for further votes – argue the Administration has offered shifting explanations for the campaign and has failed to demonstrate that Iran posed an imminent threat requiring immediate military action.
Rocket trails are seen in the sky above Netanya, in central Israel. The Israeli military said it detected multiple missile barrages from Iran, as well as launches from Lebanon, triggering air raid sirens across the country. Photo / Jack Guez, AFP
‘War of choice’
“Republicans had their chance to do something that would have been overwhelmingly popular: to say no to Trump’s war,” Chuck Schumer, who leads the Senate’s Democratic minority, said in a floor speech on Thursday (US time).
“Instead, they enthusiastically said yes, and now they own this war with Iran just as much as Donald Trump does.”
Under the Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war. The 1973 War Powers Resolution – passed after the Vietnam War – was intended to prevent Presidents from committing US forces to prolonged conflicts without congressional consent.
The failed House resolution invoked that law, directing the President to withdraw US forces from “unauthorised hostilities” involving Iran unless lawmakers explicitly approve the operation.
But Republican leaders rallied behind Trump, arguing that limiting his authority during an ongoing military campaign would embolden Iran and endanger US troops.
“I think passage of a war powers resolution right now would be a terrible, dangerous idea ... It would empower our enemies,” House Republican Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters before the vote.
“It would kneecap our own forces, and it would take the ability of the US military and the commander in chief away in completing this critical mission to keep everybody safe.”
But Massie, one of the few Republicans willing to break with the Administration, said Congress must reassert its constitutional role.
“Under our Constitution, the power to initiate war rests solely with Congress,” he said. “Congress owes our service members a clearly defined mission, so that when they accomplish it, they can come home.”
