House Republicans canceled a scheduled vote on Thursday on an Iran war powers resolution that appeared likely to pass, according to multiple reports. The measure would have compelled President Trump to withdraw from the conflict without congressional approval. GOP leaders delayed the vote until after the Memorial Day recess in early June.
Key Takeaways
House Republicans canceled a vote on an Iran war powers resolution that appeared likely to pass. The measure would have compelled President Trump to withdraw from the conflict without congressional approval.
- House GOP delays Iran war vote until June
- Senate advances similar bipartisan resolution
- Democrats accuse Republicans of political maneuvering
- Key Republican defector switches sides in Senate
- War powers resolution gains momentum amid waning support for Trump's Iran policy
The cancellation came as congressional support for Trump's Iran war has been waning. Earlier this week, the Senate advanced a similar resolution with bipartisan support, marking only a first step but a significant milestone for Democrats who have faced seven previous failures to advance Iran-related measures.
Democrats accused Republicans of avoiding political embarrassment and playing politics. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other Democratic caucus leaders called the move "cowardly" in a joint statement, according to The Guardian. They argued that Republicans were refusing to be accountable to service members put in harm's way.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who broke with his party last week to vote for an Iran war powers resolution, told Politico that the delay would not stop the resolution from passing soon, as reported by The Guardian. Meanwhile, Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told reporters that they had the votes without question and Republicans knew it.
The Senate advanced legislation Tuesday that seeks to force President Trump to withdraw from the Iran war, with a growing number of Republicans defying the president's wishes. The 50-47 vote tally demonstrated a small but crucial number of Republicans voting to halt the war with Iran. Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, fresh off a primary election loss in which Trump endorsed his opponent, switched sides to deliver a crucial vote to pass the legislation.
Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska had all previously voted for similar war powers resolutions and did so again Tuesday. Cassidy voted for the legislation for the first time after returning to Washington following his primary election loss. The timing of the final vote in the Senate was not immediately clear.
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