Democrats poised to escalate pressure on GOP with repeated votes on Iran war powers

House Democrats are ready to escalate their effort to end the Iran war.

Since the strikes began on Feb. 28, the lower chamber has voted only twice on war power resolutions, which would require President Trump to terminate the military campaign against Tehran unless Congress explicitly approves it.

That pace is about to change dramatically.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) is weighing plans to force a vote on his war powers resolution as soon as next week. And a handful of liberal Democrats are poised to follow suit, introducing similar but separate resolutions this week that they intend to bring to the floor in rapid-fire succession in May and beyond. 

Whether they have enough GOP support to pass any of the measures remains uncertain after the first two attempts failed. But short of passage, the Democrats’ aim is to force a series of lengthy floor debates on the Iran conflict, which is unpopular with voters nationally, and to put Republican lawmakers on the record when it comes to asserting Congress’s authority to declare war.

“This is one of the few ways that we can force some debate and accountability,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).  

With that in mind, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) unveiled a new war powers resolution on Tuesday. Huffman followed with one of his own on Wednesday. And Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) followed again on Thursday with a third proposal with identical intent.

“We want a number of these, with the Progressive Caucus, so that we can call for a vote over and over,” Khanna said.

The strategy, being led by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), is designed to shine a light on an unpopular war while intensifying the pressure on House Republicans — particularly those facing tough reelection contests — to cross the aisle and back the concept. Repetition, they believe, will help to build that support. 

“This should not be a one and done,” Huffman said. 

“The war is ongoing. Trump has no way out. He’s humiliating us on a daily basis on the world stage, putting us at great risk, so we’ve got to keep this going,” he continued. “That’s why we have to keep putting them in the queue, so that they ripen periodically.”

Khanna said the proposals will ripen after 15 days, at which point Democrats can force them to the floor for a vote. 

The strategy will align House Democrats more closely with those in the Senate, who have already forced five votes to limit Trump’s war powers since the conflict began.

All of those votes have failed, like the two measures in the House. But the conflict is poised to hit the 60-day mark next week, on April 29. That milestone is significant because the War Powers Act provides presidents with a 60-day window to use military force without congressional approval, in the name of national security, and Democrats are hoping the coming deadline will convince more Republicans to get on board. 

While Trump has had widespread GOP support in the conflict, Republicans’ patience has been wearing thin, and several in both the Senate and House have pointed to that 60-day mark as a point at which they might step in to check the president’s war power.

“We’ve heard a lot of talk from Republicans that they’ll give this president 60 days. And this is a failed effort. And it’s long past time that he come to Congress and explain what the strategy is and what the exit is,” said Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.), the House Democratic whip. “Republicans have been saying that is a crucial timeline for them. So put your vote up on the board.”  

Clark said she expects the Gottheimer bill to hit the floor next week, although Gottheimer stopped just short of committing to that timeline. 

“It’s ripened, so it’s a question of when to bring it up,” he said.  

Some Republicans are already supporting the effort. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) backed the first two House resolutions to reach the floor, while Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) voted “yes” on the first and “present” on the second. 

Additionally, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) has introduced a war powers resolution of his own, which leans heavily on the argument that Trump had unilateral authority during the first 60 days of the conflict, but Congress should assert its warmaking authority once that deadline has been met. Democrats have welcomed Fitzpatrick’s support for the concept, although they oppose certain details of his proposal, which doesn’t count ceasefire days toward the 60-day milestone. 

Supporters of the resolutions have their work cut out in the face of opposition from most Republicans, who have supported Trump’s strikes on Iran and warned that efforts to limit his war powers would cripple the effort to destabilize Tehran’s Islamic regime at a critical juncture. Even a number of vulnerable centrists — the group that Democrats are targeting — say the 60-day threshold won’t sway them, particularly since the deadline will arrive during a ceasefire under which administration officials say they’re still searching for a peace agreement.

“The president has upwards of 90 [days],” said Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). “He’s in the middle of negotiating.”

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), a former Air Force attorney, rejected such interpretations of the War Powers Act, saying Republicans “are twisting [the law] beyond all recognition.” 

“That statute was meant to limit the president’s power not to expand it,” said Lieu, the vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus. “And in any event, no federal statute can override the Constitution, and the Constitution is clear only Congress can declare a war.

“And we’re in a war.”

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