On Thursday, March 5, the House of Representatives rejected an attempt to advance a bill that would have limited President Donald Trump’s ability to pursue further military action against Iran.
The vote—212 to 219—effectively amounted to congressional backing for Trump’s military campaign against Iran. Under the Constitution, Congress holds the authority to declare war. The vote came a day after the Senate rejected a similar initiative—largely along party lines.
Two Republicans—Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Warren Davidson of Ohio—joined most Democrats in supporting the measure. Four Democrats, by contrast, voted against it.
At the same time, a group of Democrats is backing a more moderate resolution that would give the Trump administration greater room to maneuver. The document instructs the president to withdraw U.S. armed forces from combat operations against Iran within 30 days of the February 28 attack—unless Congress authorizes the continuation of the operation.
The stricter measure brought to a vote in the House on Thursday was backed by Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the party’s leadership, leaving its opponents clearly outnumbered.
The vote followed several days of closed-door briefings on Capitol Hill conducted by senior officials from the Trump administration. Those meetings left lawmakers from both parties with a central question—how long the U.S. operation against Iran might continue.
Republicans in Congress have largely rallied around the military campaign, although some GOP lawmakers have set clear limits for themselves—for instance, opposing the deployment of ground troops or expressing concern that the conflict could drag on longer than expected.
Democrats, for their part, argue that the administration has not presented sufficient justification or information explaining the reasons for the strike.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Wednesday that passing a resolution under the War Powers Act would “embolden our enemies.”
“Congress has a constitutional duty to exercise oversight over the actions of the executive branch—and we will do so. But we also have a responsibility not to undermine our own national security,” Johnson said.
Warren Davidson, one of the two Republicans who supported the restrictive measure, said while speaking on the House floor: “The moral hazard of a government no longer constrained by the Constitution poses a serious threat.”
The next step could be a request from the Pentagon to Congress for additional funding, according to Tom Cole, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.