House Republican leaders abruptly scrapped a planned vote Thursday on a resolution directing President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or obtain congressional authorization for the war, after it became clear they lacked the votes to defeat the measure .
The retreat marked a striking setback exposing fractures within the GOP over the conflict at a moment when some party members have begun pushing back on the president and his agenda .
Why the vote was canceled
The House had blocked three previous war powers resolutions in close votes earlier this year, with near-unanimous Republican support. But the margins had become increasingly narrow – the last resolution failed on a tie vote last week .
Thursday’s measure looked likely to pass, given expected defections by a handful of Republicans and the absences of others . Three Republicans had already crossed party lines to support similar legislation, and at least one more was expected to join them .
“We had the votes without question, and they knew it,” Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters after the vote was canceled .
Republican leaders delayed the vote until early June, after Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess .
Why Republicans are breaking ranks
Frustration with the Iran war has grown on Capitol Hill as the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global shipping and elevates gas prices in the U.S. .
Republicans have been broadly supportive of Trump’s efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but some now argue that the president’s legal timeline to wage war without congressional approval has expired. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, presidents have 60 days to engage in a military conflict before Congress must either declare war or authorize the use of military force .
“We have to follow the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who voted for an Iran war powers resolution for the first time last week and planned to do so again Thursday .
The Senate parallel
The House setback came just two days after the Senate advanced a similar war powers resolution in a rare rebuke of Trump. That procedural vote was 50 to 47, with four Republicans voting with every Senate Democrat but one in favor .
The White House argues that the requirements of the War Powers Resolution no longer apply because of a ceasefire with Iran. Both Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have argued the 1973 law is unconstitutional, potentially previewing the legal fight ahead if Congress does pass a resolution in the coming weeks .
What happens next
The next House vote is expected in early June, after lawmakers return from recess. Democrats believe they will have the votes, and some Republicans acknowledge the measure is likely to pass .
“They probably did it because they didn’t have the votes,” Fitzpatrick said of Thursday’s cancellation. “The next time they bring it, it’s passing” .
