The House passed a war powers resolution Wednesday aimed at reining in President Donald Trump’s military operations against Iran — but the measure carries no legal weight and Trump has already dismissed it.
The chamber voted 215-208 to pass the concurrent resolution, with four Republicans joining Democrats. The problem: concurrent resolutions don’t have the force of law, according to the Senate’s website, meaning Trump has no obligation to comply.
“Yesterday, in a meaningless vote, the House voted, 4 bad Republicans and all of the Dumocrats, to limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Trump called the vote “meaningless” in a Thursday Truth Social statement and accused supporters of wanting to see the U.S. “fail.” He added the four Republicans are “GRANDSTANDERS” who “should be ashamed of themselves.”
The resolution, sponsored by Democratic New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, would direct Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran except when “necessary to defend the United States” or an ally from an “imminent attack” and seek congressional approval for military actions.
Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a president has 60 days to engage in military conflict before Congress must either declare war or authorize force. Trump told Congress in a May 1 letter that the Iran war had been “terminated” as the deadline approached. Legal experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that a ceasefire would not reset the war powers timeline.
A White House official told Military.com that concurrent resolutions are “unconstitutional,” making it “very unlikely” the administration would respond even if the Senate passes it.
“The War Powers Act was designed with a legislative veto, which was declared unconstitutional in 1983,” the official said. “President Trump will continue to protect our national security using his constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief while being transparent with Congress.”
If the resolution reaches the Senate, it will be referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. If sent to the floor, it would need a simple majority of 51 votes — no filibuster. The Senate’s own version is a joint resolution requiring Trump’s signature, which would almost certainly be vetoed. Overriding that veto would require a two-thirds majority.
Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted to advance the Senate’s joint resolution for a final vote on May 19. Cassidy lost his primary to Republican Louisiana Rep. Julia Letlow, who received Trump’s endorsement. Collins is seeking reelection in November against Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner.
Even if both chambers pass their versions, Congress would need a two-thirds majority to override Trump’s veto of any binding joint resolution — a threshold unlikely to be met.
