Iran war vote splits Congress as House backs end, Senate blocks bill
The House passed a nonbinding measure to end U.S. hostilities with Iran, but the Senate rejected a legally stronger resolution.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
4 min read
The Iran war vote produced two very different answers on Capitol Hill Thursday: the House backed a Democratic-led call for President Donald Trump to pull U.S. forces out of hostilities with Iran, and the Senate later blocked a stronger version.
The House approved its measure 214-208, according to NBC News. Every Democrat voted yes, joined by four Republicans: Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.
The House resolution is nonbinding, meaning it records Congress’ position without forcing the president to act. Seven Republicans and two Democrats did not vote on the House measure.
Did Congress vote to end the Iran war?
The House voted to urge an end to U.S. involvement in the Iran war, but the Senate rejected a separate joint resolution 47-49. NBC News reported that the Senate measure would have carried the force of law, though it still could have faced a presidential veto.
In the Senate, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine joined Democrats in voting to advance the measure, except for Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who sided against it. Four Republicans missed the vote: Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Democrats pushed the votes to put Republicans on the record before the midterm elections and to press Congress’ constitutional role in decisions over war, NBC News reported.
What is the 60-day deadline for the Iran war?
The 60-day issue refers to federal war powers limits that lawmakers have cited in arguing that the conflict should not continue without congressional approval. NBC News reported that multiple Senate Republicans, including Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Curtis of Utah, have said the war should not go beyond that mark without authorization from Congress.
Both Tillis and Curtis voted against the Senate measure Thursday. Tillis told NBC News he believes the clock began on July 10, when he said he first heard the administration describe the conflict as a war, rather than in February, when Trump and Israel first launched strikes on Iran.
Tillis said Congress would need to address authorization once that 60-day period runs out. He also said a congressional vote could give the president legitimacy for a war he described as unpopular.
House Republicans have also shown willingness to give Trump more time on the 60-day issue, NBC News reported. Still, the four Republican defections in the House underscored the political strain around the conflict.
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told NBC News the vote showed Congress starting to match what he described as the 70% of Americans who oppose the war. He called it a war of choice and said Congress must assert its constitutional responsibility.
What happens next after the votes?
Meeks told NBC News Democrats have other ways to pressure the administration, including Congress’ control over spending before a Sept. 30 government funding deadline. He also said he plans to introduce a resolution to sue the administration over the Iran war and force a vote after the House returns from its five-week summer break.
Public opposition has made the war especially tricky for Republicans in competitive districts, according to NBC News. Rep. Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, a Republican in a swing district and a Democratic target in November, voted no.
Bresnahan told NBC News he understands concerns about fuel prices but said Iran must not be allowed to have nuclear weapons. He said he wants the Strait of Hormuz reopened as quickly as possible so gas and fertilizer prices can fall.
Congress has already delivered one formal rebuke of the war. NBC News reported that the House passed a similar nonbinding war powers resolution in early June, 215-208, with the same four Republicans joining Democrats; the Senate later passed that nonbinding measure.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington said the war is opposed by most Americans and that even self-identified MAGA voters are skeptical, according to NBC News. She said those voters supported Trump when he talked about ending “forever wars,” rather than entering new ones.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.