Latest effort to rein in Trump on Iran falls short in House vote

Washington — The latest vote in the House to block President Trump from taking further military action against Iran narrowly failed Thursday as the war approaches its third month and the off-ramp remains uncertain. 

The war powers resolution, introduced by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, failed in a 213 to 214 vote, with one voting present. One Republican voted with nearly all Democrats, just shy of the support it needed for passage. 

It’s the latest test of Congress’ support for the war that Mr. Trump has claimed for weeks would be over “soon.” 

Democrats in both the House and Senate stressed a renewed urgency to reining in the president’s authority on Iran after he threatened last week to eradicate a “whole civilization” unless the regime agreed to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical channel for global oil trade. Since then, peace talks between the U.S. and Iran collapsed in Pakistan amid a fragile two-week ceasefire and the U.S. has placed a blockade on vessels using Iranian ports. 

Last week’s episode, in which Mr. Trump threatened to attack Iran’s civilian infrastructure, prompted some Republicans to express unease, but had little effect on how they voted on the president’s war powers authority. A Democratic-led resolution in the Senate also failed in a Tuesday vote, with just one Republican supportive of it. 

House Democrats tried to pass Meeks’ measure last week via unanimous consent during a brief pro forma session, but were blocked from even offering it as the presiding Republican quickly gaveled out of session. 

Meeks’ resolution would have directed the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by Congress. 

Three Democrats who voted against the last war powers resolution in early March — Reps. Henry Cuellar of Texas, Greg Landsman of Ohio and Juan Vargas — backed Thursday’s effort to limit Mr. Trump on Iran. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the lone Democrat in opposition. 

“The cost of inaction was far too high to tolerate. But now it’s time to be done,” Landsman said in a statement last month announcing his switch. 

Cuellar said his change of heart was not a rebuke, but a “reaffirmation of Congress’ constitutional role.” But he also attributed his decision to a lack of clear exit strategy and answers from the administration about its objectives. 

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky also voted in favor, while Republican Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio voted present. Massie and Davidson were the only two House Republicans to break with Mr. Trump in the March vote.

Meeks said after the vote he expected Davidson to remain supportive. He told reporters, “I expected him to hold, but I’ll have a conversation with him now.” Meeks added that he’s been trying to flip Golden “for a period of time” and those conversations will continue. 

In a statement, Golden said the resolution could undermine negotiations with Iran to end the war. 

“The purported aim of this and other war powers resolutions is to stop the hostilities. Thankfully, the United States and Iran are currently in a ceasefire, and we are negotiating over critical questions of national security and international order,” he said. “At this moment, a resolution like this would weaken our hand.” 

Some Republicans have indicated they could shift their votes if the war continues beyond the statutory 60-day deadline, which falls on May 1. The 1973 War Powers Resolution — which Congress passed in response to the Vietnam War as a check on the president’s power to enter armed conflict without consent from the legislative branch —  capped any unauthorized engagement at 60 days. But the law has widely been viewed as unconstitutional by presidents from both parties. 

Meeks said Thursday that he planned to file another war powers resolution.