The House of Representatives passed a war powers resolution on Wednesday, directing President Donald Trump to withdraw U.S. military assets from the conflict in Iran. The measure passed in a narrow 215-208 vote, aided by four Republicans who broke ranks to vote alongside a unified Democratic caucus.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had previously pulled the resolution from the floor on May 21 due to concerns over Republican attendance. On Wednesday, however, the legislation secured the necessary votes to pass. The four Republicans voting in favor were Representatives Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
The Republican-controlled Senate is currently considering a similar measure. If passed by both chambers, the resolution is expected to face a presidential veto.
The House vote follows recent polling showing broad public opposition to the conflict, which began on February 28 as a joint campaign with Israel. An ABC-Washington Post poll conducted last month indicated that 61% of Americans view the war as a “mistake,” while 19% believe the campaign has been successful.
When questioned last week regarding the poll numbers, President Trump dismissed the data, focusing instead on Iran’s economic instability and nuclear ambitions.
“They have 250% inflation,” Trump said. “Their money has no value. Their whole economic system is broken down. They thought they were gonna outwait me, you know. ‘We’ll outwait him. He’s got the midterms.’ I don’t care about the midterms.”
The president also repeated his justification for the military campaign, stating, “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.” This position conflicts with current U.S. intelligence assessments, which state that Iran was not close to developing a nuclear weapon at the start of the conflict.
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