The House of Representatives on Wednesday sent President Donald Trump a decisive message on conflict with Iran, voting overwhelmingly to block his ability to engage in further military action without congressional approval.
Three Republicans and one Independent joined Democrats in order to advance a war powers resolution introduced by Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) that closely mirrors a proposal from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in the Senate. The final vote total was 224-194, and while Democrats were broadly united, eight moderate members of the caucus ultimately defected.
The measure, which says that Trump should wind down any military engagement with Iran unless Congress votes to approve it, directly pushes back on his decision to kill Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani without consulting lawmakers last week. It’s not legally binding — the sponsors chose to introduce a non-binding “concurrent resolution” that wouldn’t require Trump’s signature — so if anything, it’s more of a message.
VOX:
“It goes next to the Senate, where its fate is unclear. A similar measure there, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, could be voted on as early as next week and Trump was almost certain to veto any attempt to restrict his war-fighting powers.”
