The House of Representatives failed to pass a War Powers Resolution on Thursday over Operation Epic Fury in Iran, just one day after a Senate vote on the unlikely effort to halt military action against the country until Congress signs off on it.
The vote was 219-212, with most Republicans voting against the proposal and most Democrats voting for the resolution.
The House push was led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), as Khanna argued on the House floor Wednesday that “the world needs a new moral vision.”
“The world needs an America that finds its moral center, Mr. Speaker,” he said.
“Let us rise to this historic challenge, in this body let us declare with courage and clarity that we reject this illegal and unjust war in Iran. Let us choose moral renewal over further moral decay,” the California lawmaker added.
Massie said in an X post earlier on Thursday that “the VOTE IS TODAY, but we’ve already won by forcing a debate and a vote.”
The Senate effort was led by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rand Paul (R-KY), but it failed 53-47 on Wednesday.
“Congress hereby directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force,” the Senate resolution stated.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) explained her vote against the resolution in a lengthy X post on Wednesday, explaining that the resolution “would send the wrong message to Iran and to our troops.”
“The Administration has adhered to the provisions of the War Powers Act that require notification to Congress within 48 hours of hostilities commencing, and it has provided numerous classified briefings to Congress,” she wrote.
The nature of the resolution, even if the Senate and House did successfully pass it, is likely a lost cause, given that the president would have to give it the final stamp of approval, according to CBS News.
Republicans have primarily been in support of the recent military actions, whereas Democrats have largely been against them, with the notable exception of Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
Operation Epic Fury kicked off over the weekend, resulting in the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of other top Iranian leaders. Many Democrats have argued that the threshold has not been met to justify military action, with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) stating that the president “has presented no evidence that Iran or its nuclear program — which he falsely claimed to have ‘obliterated’ — pose an imminent threat to the United States, or that diplomacy was exhausted.”
Trump said on Thursday that the U.S. will need to play a direct role in deciding who is put in charge of the large Middle Eastern nation.
“We’re going to have to choose that person along with Iran. We’re going to have to choose that person,” the president told Reuters.
