House Votes Down Iran War Powers Resolution, Joining Senate in Giving Trump Unrestrained Authority Over Operation Epic Fury

The House voted 219-212 on Thursday to reject a bipartisan war powers resolution that would have forced President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran, just one day after the Senate defeated its own version 47-53. The resolution, co-sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna and libertarian-leaning Republican Thomas Massie, fell when four centrist Democrats crossed the aisle to vote with nearly every Republican against constraining the president's authority. Only two Republicans -- Massie and one other -- voted to rein in the war. The back-to-back failures in both chambers represent a decisive political victory for Trump and effectively give the commander-in-chief unlimited authority to prosecute Operation Epic Fury for the foreseeable future, despite polls showing a majority of voters disapprove of how the war has been handled. The votes expose the reality that even in a conflict launched without explicit congressional authorization, neither party has the votes or the will to invoke the War Powers Act and reclaim Congress's constitutional authority over war and peace.