The cancellation of the vote capped a week that simultaneously demonstrated both President Trump’s growing grip on the Republican Party and his declining grip on a functioning majority in Congress.
President Trump says war powers resolution is ‘completely unconstitutional’
As the deadline for authorizing Iran’s military approaches, President Trump has called the War Powers Resolution, which requires Congressional approval, “unconstitutional.”
WASHINGTON – House Republican leaders abruptly canceled a war powers vote scheduled for Thursday, fearing it would pass amid Republican defections and absentee members ahead of the Memorial Day holiday.
This marked the latest sign that Congressional support for the Iran war may be weakening. The postponement comes just days after the Senate succeeded for the first time in advancing another measure related to ending U.S. involvement in Middle East conflicts.
After the vote was officially postponed, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) yelled at House Republicans for not having the “courage” to see the bill succeed.
“Are we not going to vote for it because the American people are tired of this illegal war?” he said.
In the face of a specific presidential veto and a deeply divided Congress, the War Powers Resolution, which would reaffirm the Legislature’s authority to formally declare war in the United States, which Democrats have been pushing for passage for months, is highly unlikely to pass.
Still, the vote cancellation capped a week that simultaneously signaled both President Trump’s growing grip on the Republican Party and his declining grip on Congress’ functioning majorities.
Mr. Trump’s successful campaign to oust party members he deemed insufficiently loyal has alienated key pillars of his base on Capitol Hill, where a slim majority has kept Congress in full Republican control. This influence is already having a clear impact on his policies ahead of the midterm elections.
Senate Republicans early Thursday halted a months-long vote on a $70 billion cash infusion for federal immigration enforcement. Concerns about the Justice Department’s new $1.8 billion fund that could benefit President Trump’s allies prompted a last-minute push to include legislative guardrails for the fund in the budget bill.
Negotiations ended without compromise, and Republican lawmakers, still at odds, left town for a week’s vacation.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
