US House of Representatives to vote on latest effort to stop Iran war | Israel-Iran conflict news

The United States House of Representatives is poised to vote on a resolution to stop the administration of US President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran, in the latest test of lawmakers’ positions on the war.

Thursday’s vote comes a day after a vote on a parallel war powers resolution failed in the US Senate 47-53, mostly along partisan lines.

As in the Senate, Republicans control a slim majority in the House, and any vote to rein in Trump’s actions is guaranteed to face an uphill battle.

Now, Thursday’s vote is important. The House of Representatives, with 435 seats, is envisioned by the US Constitution as the legislative branch closest to the US public. It is commonly known as the People’s House.

With polls consistently showing dismal approval ratings from Trump’s bombastic campaign and figures from Trump’s own “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) base questioning the war’s motivation, a vote would force lawmakers to go on record with their positions, said Republican sponsor Thomas Massey.

“He doesn’t want his name associated with this when it doesn’t turn out well,” Massey said from the House floor during Wednesday’s debate.

He has joined most Democrats in denouncing Trump’s actions as unconstitutional.

Under the US Constitution, only Congress can declare war. Presidents can unilaterally carry out certain military actions, but legal scholars have long argued that under established US law, that power applies only in instances of the country’s immediate self-defense.

Lawmakers critical of Trump’s actions on Saturday denounced the operation with Israel as a “war of choice,” accusing the administration of providing no evidence of an immediate threat.

To be sure, the administration has presented a kaleidoscope of rationalizations that contradict the available evidence.

The administration has pointed to both Iran’s nuclear program, which Trump said was “wiped out” in strikes last year, as well as Iran’s efforts to develop a ballistic missile program capable of hitting the US. If Iran were to try to develop such a missile, experts noted, U.S. intelligence assessed that it would take until 2035 to achieve that goal.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this week that Washington’s close ally Israel was planning to strike Iran, which he expected would prompt Iranian attacks on US assets in the Middle East. Trump later said Iran was planning to attack Israel.

Throughout the claims, the administration said the totality of the Iranian government’s actions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution represented an immediate threat that previous US administrations had failed to address.

‘Constitutional right to exercise power’

Speaking before the Senate’s failed vote on Friday, Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he was increasingly fearful of the prospect of the US putting boots on the ground, following classified briefings and public statements.

“They’ll pick a plan one day, then they’ll pick a lump sum the next. They don’t think it through, they don’t check the facts,” Schumer said, referring to Trump.

“He’s surrounded by ‘yes’ men; it’s dangerous,” he said.

As of Thursday, fighting continued across the Middle East, with the US and Israel repeatedly striking Iran and Iran launching its latest wave of attacks across the Gulf. Recent strikes have extended to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

At least 1,230 people have died in Iran since Saturday, 11 in Israel and nine in Gulf countries. Six US soldiers were also killed.

As underscored in Wednesday’s Senate vote, Republicans have largely rallied behind Trump’s campaign or offered tacit support, including praise for the assassination of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, the top Republican in the chamber, warned that pushing for an end to military operations would be “dangerous.”

On Wednesday, he pointed to Congress’ “constitutional right to exercise its oversight powers.”

“But we also have a duty and obligation not to undermine our own national security,” he said.

Many Republicans are confident that Trump will quickly end the war and, in turn, help ease the political fallout over Trump’s anti-interventionist campaign pledges.

Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the president has 60 days, with a 90-day extension, to seek congressional approval to proceed with military action regardless of his initial justification.

Polling is expected to be close

Republicans currently control 218 seats in the House to Democrats’ 214, with three seats remaining vacant.

The vote is expected to be close, with Hakeem Jeffries, the top Democrat in the House, predicting broad support across the party.

However, a handful of Democrats have indicated they may oppose the resolution, including Representative Josh Gottheimer, a top defender of Israel.

Beyond Massey, at least one Republican, Representative Warren Davidson, has committed to voting in favor of reining in Trump.

If the resolution passes with a simple majority, it would have to come up for another vote in the Senate before being sent to Trump’s desk. He can then veto it, and both chambers of Congress need a two-thirds majority to override it.

A small group of Democrats separately proposed a different war powers resolution that would have allowed the president to continue the war for 30 days before seeking congressional approval.

It is unclear when that vote will take place.