WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday approved a Democratic-led proposal to end the war in Iran, ordering President Donald Trump to withdraw armed forces from hostilities.
The resolution is, however, not binding. The House voted 214-208, with four Republicans joining all Democrats to vote decisively in favor of the measure: Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., Tom Barrett, R-Mich., Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.
Later in the day, the Senate voted 47-49 to reject a “joint resolution” to end the war in Iran that would have the force of law, unlike the House version, but would be subject to a presidential veto. A Republican, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined all Democrats except Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., in voting to advance the measure.
Four Republicans did not vote: Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky.
The votes in both chambers were pushed by Democrats eager to put Republicans on the record about an unpopular war ahead of the midterm elections and reaffirm Congress’s role as the branch of government responsible for declaring war.
Several Republican senators said the war should last no more than 60 days without congressional approval in order to comply with federal law. They include Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah. But both men voted Thursday against the measure to end the war in Iran.
When asked why, Tillis said the 60-day clock started this month, not back in February when Trump and Israel first launched strikes against Iran. “July 10, to my knowledge, is the first time I’ve heard anyone in the administration talk about war,” Tillis said, adding that it would be important for Congress to authorize war once the 60 days have passed.
“Time is running out. We have to take this seriously,” Tillis said. “I think politically we can help the president in an unpopular war right now if we give him some legitimacy.”
House Republicans also indicated their willingness to give Trump room to maneuver within the 60-day deadline. Still, four members of the Republican Party voted with Democrats to pass the nonbinding resolution rejecting the war through the Republican-controlled House, reflecting the unpopularity of the conflict.
“Today’s vote shows that Congress is beginning to reach out to the 70 percent of Americans who are against this war, which is clearly a war of choice, and Congress must take up its constitutional responsibility and demand it,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Relations Committee, told NBC News.
Meeks added that Democrats have more tools to force Trump to end the war, such as the “power of the purse” ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline for Congress to fund the government, including the military. He added that he was introducing a resolution “to go after the administration” for defying Congress on the Iran war, which he plans to force a vote on when the House returns from its summer recess in five weeks.
Public opposition The war in Iran has put Republicans in a difficult position in competitive areas.
Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Pa., who represents a swing district and is one of Democrats’ top targets in November, voted against the resolution. He said he recognized the economic impact of the war, but stressed that Iran could not possess nuclear weapons.
“I think people see fuel prices and they immediately make a correlation between them. But I think we all agree that this issue needs to be resolved quickly. Under no circumstances should Iran have nuclear weapons,” Bresnahan said Thursday. “Iran is not a friend of the United States, but there must be a definitive solution quickly. »
He said he would like the Strait of Hormuz to be opened as soon as possible so that gas and fertilizer prices can come down. “The sooner the better,” he said. “But at the same time, you can’t allow a foreign adversary to roguely manage and hold American supply chains hostage because … they’re just acting radically.”
Seven Republicans and two Democrats did not vote Thursday on the House’s Iran measure.
This is not the first time that Congress has formally disapproved of the war. The House approved a similar war powers resolution in early June on a vote of 215-208, with support from the same Republicans who voted for the measure Thursday. The Senate later passed the same non-binding measure.
Democrats continued to force these votes to get Republicans to officially talk about a war that a majority of Americans oppose it. The failed Senate measure was led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.
“Not only are the vast majority of Americans opposed to this war, but it is the most unpopular war we have seen in a long, long, long time,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., noting that even self-identified “MAGA” voters are skeptical of the war.
“These are people who deeply support Donald Trump, but they actually liked that he was talking about ending wars forever instead of getting into them,” she said.
