Washington: The Republican-led US House of Representatives approved a resolution Wednesday to block President Donald Trump from continuing the war against Iran, reflecting growing concern among members of his party about the 3-month-old conflict. The House voted 215 to 208, as four Republicans voted with Democrats in favour of the war powers resolution, which directs Trump to withdraw US troops from Iran unless Congress declares war or authorises the use of military force. It was the latest setback for Trump in Congress despite his party’s slim majorities in both the House and Senate. For now, the vote is largely symbolic, as legislation must pass the Senate as well as the House to become effective, and there is debate over whether war powers resolutions would be constitutional even if they are approved by Congress.
The vote, nonetheless, reflects unease among some Republicans over Trump’s handling of the conflict and marks a rare bipartisan effort to curb presidential war powers as the war has entered a fourth month. Three previous war powers resolutions had failed in the House by increasingly slim margins, and the chamber’s Republican leaders abruptly postponed a vote on this one last month when it looked likely to pass. Trump Thursday morning called the vote unpatriotic, coming “right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran”. In a social media post, he said the Republicans who sided with Democrats on the issue should be ashamed of themselves. The Senate advanced a separate, but similar resolution last month in a procedural vote, after seven previous attempts had failed. Further votes on the Senate measure have not yet been scheduled. The four House Republicans who voted for the war powers resolution were Representatives Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. No Democrats voted against it. Seven House members did not vote. Trump has recently faced some opposition from members of his party in Congress, after months in which very few Republicans pushed back against his policy initiatives.
Separately Wednesday, the House approved a procedural motion that clears the way for a vote on the Ukraine Support Act, which would provide security aid to Ukraine as it fights a Russian invasion. The act reached the floor only after a petition reached a 218-signature threshold last month to move ahead. Recently, Republicans have revolted against Trump’s plans to create a “weaponisation” fund to pay his political allies who said they had been the subject of government abuse.
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