The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a resolution aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from continuing the war against Iran, reflecting growing concern among lawmakers, including members of his own Republican Party, over the four-month-old conflict.
The Republican-controlled House passed the war powers resolution by a vote of 215 to 208, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support of the measure, Reuters reported.
If enacted, the resolution would require Trump to withdraw US forces from the conflict unless Congress formally declares war or authorizes the use of military force.
The vote marks the latest political setback for the president in Congress, despite Republicans holding narrow majorities in both the House and Senate. It also underscores growing unease among some Republican lawmakers over the administration’s handling of the conflict.
For now, however, the measure is largely symbolic because it must also be approved by the Senate before it can take effect. Moreover, legal experts continue to debate whether war powers resolutions would be constitutional even if they were passed by Congress.
Supporters of the resolution argue that, under the US Constitution, the authority to declare war rests with Congress and that a president should not commit the country to a prolonged military conflict without legislative approval. The vote represents a rare bipartisan effort to reassert congressional authority over the use of military force.
Three previous war powers resolutions failed in the House, although by increasingly narrow margins. Last month, House Republican leaders postponed a vote on the current measure when it appeared likely to pass.
The Senate last month advanced a separate but similar resolution in a procedural vote after seven previous attempts had failed, although no further action on that measure has yet been scheduled.
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