U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) speaks with the media on the day of classified briefings for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on the situation in Iran, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3, 2026.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a war powers resolution to restrict President Donald Trump’s authority to use the U.S. military in Iran.
The vote was 212-219, with four Democrats joining Republicans to torpedo the measure and two Republicans joining Democrats in voting for the measure. The Senate shot down a similar measure on Wednesday.
The votes, while largely symbolic, show Congress is not currently willing to rein in Trump on Iran. Trump began a bombardment of Iran on Saturday, which killed the country’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He and his administration have stated myriad aims for the conflict.
Democrats and some Republicans have argued that Trump needs the approval of Congress to conduct the operation. The Constitution vests the authority to declare war in Congress.
If it passed, the measure would have been largely symbolic. Trump is almost certain to veto any bill that would reduce his authority to use the military.
