Republicans Cancel House Vote on Iran War Powers Resolution
Washington D.C. — Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives abruptly canceled a scheduled vote on a war powers resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran, triggering sharp criticism from Democrats and exposing growing divisions within the Republican Party over the ongoing conflict.
The measure sought to require congressional authorization for continued U.S. military involvement in Iran under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which gives Congress authority to check presidential war-making powers. Lawmakers from both parties had increasingly voiced concern that the conflict could escalate into a prolonged war without formal approval from Congress.
According to multiple reports, Republican leadership pulled the vote after realizing the resolution had enough bipartisan support to potentially pass due to several Republican defections and member absences. Democratic leaders accused Republicans of avoiding an embarrassing political defeat ahead of the Memorial Day recess.
Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, claimed Republicans “had the votes against them” and deliberately delayed the measure until June. Several Republicans, including Thomas Massie and Brian Fitzpatrick, have previously supported efforts to rein in presidential war powers regarding Iran.
The cancellation comes just days after the U.S. Senate advanced a similar bipartisan resolution in a rare rebuke to Trump’s Iran strategy. Critics argue the administration entered the conflict without a clear long-term plan, while the White House maintains that the president is acting legally under his authority as commander-in-chief to counter imminent threats.
Political analysts say the episode highlights growing unease in Congress over the economic and geopolitical consequences of the Iran conflict, including rising energy prices and fears of wider instability in the Middle East.
