The House on Thursday approved a resolution to remove U.S. forces from the war in Iran.
The resolution passed by a vote of 214-208, signaling a loosening of Trump’s stronghold on his party and frustration over Congress’s ability to conduct oversight.
The resolution is not legally binding, yet demonstrates a rebuke of Trump over a the unauthorized war he started in Iran. This is the second time the House has issued such an admonition over the war. Shortly after the House voted, the Senate attempted to pass a war powers resolution, but it failed by two votes 47-49.
Since Trump declared war in February, 18 U.S. troops have been killed. Four have died since July 17 and 500 have suffered injuries. Twenty percent of those have happened in the last two weeks, according the Pentagon.
Trump has been inconsistent in his messaging, vacillating between declarations of American success in the war, a clear end to the war, no end in sight, alleged negotiations with Iran, and unsuccessful ceasefires.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., led the effort in the House and said that the vote sends Trump a warning that Congress won’t keep tolerating an “illegal” war.
“From the beginning, this was had had no clear mission, no strategy, no end goal. Congress has not been consulted,” Jayapal said. “And hostilities have been driven over and over again by a president who won his election by promising to end forever wars.”
Four Republicans joined the Democrats to approve the resolution: Tom Barrett of Michigan, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Warren Davidson of Ohio. Other Republicans have justified their support of the war in the name of necessity.
In June, the Senate approved a war powers resolution only to reverse course the day after Trump criticized the result. Trump has called the war powers votes a by product of “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
