US lawmakers approve measure to limit Trump's Iran war powers

International

THE United States House of Representatives has approved a measure seeking to prevent President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Iran without congressional authorization.

The resolution passed with a 215-208 vote after four Republican lawmakers joined Democrats in a rare bipartisan rebuke of the ongoing conflict, which began in February.

The measure marks the fourth attempt by the House to limit Trump's war powers, with critics arguing that continued military operations against Iran lack congressional approval.

The resolution now moves to the Republican-controlled Senate. Even if approved, Trump could veto the measure, requiring a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress to override his decision.

Republican Representatives Thomas Massie, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett, and Warren Davidson joined Democrats in supporting the measure. Democratic Representative Jared Golden of Maine, who previously opposed similar efforts, also voted in favor.

“Congress alone declares war, that's something certainly we need to be protective of,” Barrett said in a BBC report.

Asked whether he feared political repercussions from Trump, Barrett replied: “I vote my conscience for what I think is right and willing to accept that.”

The vote highlighted growing divisions within the Republican Party and came shortly after conservative lawmakers pushed the administration to abandon plans for a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund for political allies.

Representative Gregory Meeks, the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, described the vote as “a significant bipartisan rebuke of President Trump's illegal and costly war in Iran and the first step toward ending it once and for all.”

Meeks argued that the conflict had failed to achieve its goals while increasing fuel prices and making diplomatic efforts regarding Iran's nuclear program more difficult.

“The passage of this [measure] today signals a significant turning point: more and more Republicans are listening to their constituents who do not want another open-ended war in the Middle East,” Meeks said.

The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28. Iran responded with attacks on Israel and US-allied states in the Gulf region and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global shipping.

An initial ceasefire agreement was reached on April 8, but military exchanges have continued in recent weeks, including US strikes on Iranian targets and retaliatory attacks by Iran on Kuwait, a US ally.

Ahead of the House vote, Trump said negotiations to end the conflict were progressing.

“We hit them pretty hard the night before, and actually last night,” Trump told reporters at the White House, referring to recent strikes in Iran.

“Some people would say they were slightly provoked because we took a strong action for a different reason, so they were reciprocating,” he added.

Trump also expressed optimism that a diplomatic agreement could be reached soon.

“In theory they're pretty close to signing a paper, we've actually gotten along with them very well,” he said.(Shanice Kaye Ocio, CNU Comm Intern)