The House passed a war powers resolution on Wednesday blocking President Donald Trump from ordering further strikes on Iran, with four Republicans crossing the aisle to secure the measure’s passage.
The 215-208 vote marked the first time such a measure has cleared the House on a final vote since the conflict began more than three months ago, intensifying congressional pressure on the White House.
Representatives Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Warren Davidson of Ohio were the four Republicans who broke with their party to support the resolution.
Trump publicly condemned the four lawmakers, saying they “should be ashamed of themselves” for joining Democrats in voting to curtail his authority over the ongoing conflict.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick explained his vote to reporters after the chamber’s decision, stating simply, “we have to follow the law,” referring to the War Powers Act of 1973.
That legislation requires military action to cease unless Congress votes to formally declare war or specifically authorize the conflict, a threshold that has now been crossed in this Iran engagement.
This was the fourth time the House has voted on an Iran war powers measure, but the first since the conflict crossed the critical 90-day deadline mandated under the War Powers Act.
Massie has been among the most vocal Republican critics of Trump’s decision to strike Iran without congressional authorization, having also led efforts to block unauthorized military action in Venezuela earlier this year.
Last month, Massie lost his Kentucky Republican primary to Ed Gallrein, a candidate whom Trump had endorsed, making his vote on the resolution one of his final significant congressional acts.
Speaker Mike Johnson argued ahead of the vote that the legislation would “weaken” Trump’s hand in ongoing negotiations with Iran, a position that held firm among 208 House Republicans.
The White House dismissed the resolution as an “unconstitutional legislative veto” over executive authority, while also arguing the conflict effectively ended when Trump called for a ceasefire in early April.
Despite that declared ceasefire, both sides have continued launching strikes, including incidents reported just this week, complicating the administration’s legal argument that the 90-day clock has stopped.
The national average price for a gallon of gasoline reached $4.26 on Wednesday, up sharply from $3.14 a year ago, according to AAA, highlighting the economic toll the conflict has placed on American consumers.
Rising fuel and commodity costs have contributed to growing unease among Republican constituents, slowly building pressure on GOP lawmakers to reconsider their blanket support for the war’s continuation.
Republican leaders had attempted to delay the vote by sending House members home early for a May recess two weeks ago, when it appeared the measure had enough Republican support to pass, but the extended break did not erode support.
The resolution is considered largely symbolic, given ongoing legal disputes about whether a concurrent resolution carries the force of law, and Trump is widely expected to contest its authority even if the Senate passes it.
The Senate is the measure’s next destination, where its fate remains uncertain, though the House vote still represents a meaningful political rebuke of an unauthorized conflict now in its fourth month.
Separately on Wednesday, the House advanced a bill providing additional aid to Ukraine while imposing new sanctions on Russia, passing by a vote of 218-205 with six Republicans joining Democrats in support.
