(Washington) The US House of Representatives refused Thursday to limit Donald Trump’s powers in the war against Iran, when voting on a resolution.
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The Senate had, the day before, also refused to adopt a similar initiative.
Elected officials rejected, by 219 votes to 212, a text presented by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna, which required the American president to obtain authorization from Congress before continuing the war against Tehran.
Faced with a president who has extended the influence of executive power over the legislature since his return to the White House in January 2025, many Democratic parliamentarians say they want to reaffirm the authority of Congress, the only one authorized by the Constitution of the United States to declare war.
“Republicans had the opportunity to do something that would have been extremely popular: say no to Trump’s war,” thundered Chuck Schumer, leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, in a speech delivered Thursday before the House of Representatives.
PHOTO KYLIE COOPER, REUTERS
Chuck Schumer, Democratic Senate Minority Leader
But if Congress has the sole authority to declare war, a 1973 law allows the president to trigger a limited military intervention to respond to an emergency created by an attack against the United States.
The House resolution would have asked the president to withdraw U.S. forces from “unauthorized hostilities” in Iran unless Congress approves the operation.
A line that Republicans refused to adopt, with House Speaker Mike Johnson calling it a “terrible, dangerous idea” that would “empower our enemies.”
But his colleague Thomas Massie, who initiated the resolution, assured him that it would reaffirm the role of Congress.
“In our Constitution, the power to declare war rests exclusively with Congress,” he said. “Congress owes our military a clearly defined mission, so that when it is accomplished, they can return home. »
Even if it had passed, the text would probably not have survived a veto by the president, since two-thirds of the votes in both chambers would then have been necessary.
