A handful of Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday and bucked President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson to rein in the president’s power to further prosecute his war in Iran.
The House passed the War Powers Act resolution 215-208. The move came after four Republicans defected to the Democratic side.
Under U.S. law, the president must withdraw troops within 60 days of a military engagement unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force. The president must also inform Congress within 48 of committing armed forces into action.
“They’ve known the right answer for a long time,” Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) told The Independent. “They just finally got up the courage to show.”
The vote came just as reporters questioned Trump in the Oval Office about the war in Iran. While Trump had announced a ceasefire weeks ago, he described the halt to hostilities as “shooting in a more moderate manner.” Amid the war, now well into its third month, Trump’s approval numbers have fallen precipitously as Americans see higher gas prices thanks to the Iranian regime blocking the Strait of Hormuz.
open image in galleryPrevious attempts to rein in the president on Iran have failed because they mostly fell along party lines. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that “we’re not at war right now” in Iran. Even as the White House sent troops to the region, Johnson said that the United States did not have “boots on the ground.”
Two weeks ago, the House was set to vote on a War Powers Act resolution to rein in the president on Iran. But Republicans dragged out a vote on a separate piece of legislation for a women’s history museum as it attempted to prevent the passage of the resolution.
But as time has progressed, some Republicans have become restless. During the last War Powers Act resolution, three Republicans broke with House GOP leadership: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Penn.), Tom Barrett (R-Mich.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). On Wednesday, a fourth member joined them: Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio.
“It’s a big deal, overdue,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), an ally of Massie’s who previously pushed other War Powers Act resolutions, told The Independent.
Massie’s outspoken criticism of the war in Iran led to the White House engaging in a full-court press against him during his primary and Ed Gallrein beat him last month.
In addition, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) flipped his vote after he had previously opposed War Powers Resolutions.
“I also think people should understand that this is, for me, a matter of separation of powers and the law,” he told The Independent. “We’re past 60 days now. If the president wants the authority to continue the operations, then I think he’s got to come to Congress and make the case.”
open image in galleryRepublicans ultimately ran out of options to block the resolution. During the last War Powers vote, Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) was out recovering from eye surgery and Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.) was not present. But Leger Fernandez attended and voted in the affirmative on Wednesday.
By contrast, Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) has gone missing and has missed almost 90 days of work. Kean has said he has been dealing with health complications, but refused to disclose them.
At the same time, some Republicans returned who were not previously available. Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) returned since she is no longer campaigning in Louisiana’s Senate primary after she made the runoff election. It would not be enough though.
In the same respect, Trump’s decision to endorse Letlow to replace Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) might facilitate the War Powers Act resolution’s passage in the Senate.
Before the Senate let out two weeks ago, Cassidy voted to allow the resolution to allow the resolution to proceed, which led to a 50-47 “yes” vote.
The vote is just the latest sign of Republicans becoming restless with a White House increasingly less focused on the cost of living and more dedicated toward the president’s personal vendettas, erecting Trump’s desired ballroom and tidying up various locations throughout Washington.
But some Republicans have become exasperated with it. Shortly after the vote, a handful of Republicans including Fitzpatrick, Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Max Miller (R-Ohio) voted with Democrats on a discharge petition to put in place sanctions on Russia and send more aid to Ukraine.
In addition, many Republicans in the Senate balked at the Trump administraiton’s announcement of an “anti-weaponization” fund through the Justice Department, through which allies of the president could be financially compensated if they claim the Biden or Obama administration unfairly targeted them.
Other Republicans criticized Trump’s nomination of Bill Pulte, who currently leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to become interim director of National Intelligence.