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Four Republicans broke with their party Wednesday and joined Democrats to pass a resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's authority to continue military operations against Iran without congressional approval. The vote was 215 to 208.
According to reporting by BBC News and Al Jazeera, it was the fourth time the House has voted on such a resolution this year, but the first time one has passed. The resolution now moves to the Republican-controlled Senate, where a similar measure advanced in May but has yet to reach a full floor vote. Even if it clears the Senate, Trump could veto it. Overriding a veto would require a two-thirds majority in both chambers.
The Republicans who voted with Democrats were Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Tom Barrett of Michigan, and Warren Davidson of Ohio. Democrat Jared Golden of Maine, who had previously voted against similar measures, also voted in favor this time.
Barrett, whose House seat is considered vulnerable in November's midterms, argued that Trump had exceeded his constitutional authority. "Congress alone declares war, that's something certainly we need to be protective of," Barrett said. Asked if he was worried about retribution from Trump for his vote, Barrett said: "I vote my conscience for what I think is right and willing to accept that."
Massie, who co-sponsored the resolution and lost his Republican primary last month to a Trump-backed challenger, posted about the vote on social media. "The Iran War Powers Resolution that I cosponsored (opposing the war) just passed the House of Representatives," Massie wrote. "The People's House is sending a message: end this war."
The conflict began February 28, when Trump joined Israel in striking Iran without seeking congressional authorization. Trump has referred to the conflict as a "skirmish" or a "short-term excursion." The war will reach its 100th day Saturday.
Despite a ceasefire agreement, the U.S. has continued striking Iran in recent days, with Tehran responding with strikes on Kuwait, a U.S. ally. On Wednesday, Trump told reporters at the White House that negotiations to end the war are going well and could be finalized as soon as this weekend. "We hit them pretty hard the night before, and actually last night," Trump said. "Some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating."
Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a co-sponsor of the resolution, framed the vote as a turning point. "The passage of this [measure] today signals a significant turning point: more and more Republicans are listening to their constituents who do not want another open-ended war in the Middle East," Meeks said.
Meeks also argued that Trump had failed to achieve the war's stated aims while pushing up fuel prices at home and making a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program more difficult.
The vote came just days after a separate revolt by conservatives in Congress led the Trump administration to pull back plans for a $1.8 billion fund for political allies. Marc Short, who served as chief of staff to former Vice President Mike Pence, published an op-ed in the Washington Post arguing that the Iran war and Trump's trade policy risk costing Republicans the support of farmers, a key coalition for the party.
The House vote now puts pressure on the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority and where earlier attempts to advance a similar resolution failed seven times before one finally moved forward in May.
