House Votes to Halt Iran War in Rebuke of Trump

The House voted Tuesday evening to invoke the War Powers Resolution and direct the withdrawal of U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran, Politico reported, delivering the most significant congressional rebuke of a wartime president since the original war powers statute became law in 1973.

The passage of H.Con.Res.38, sponsored by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, came after weeks of failed attempts and procedural maneuvering in which Republican leadership repeatedly delayed or blocked floor action to prevent what internal whip counts showed would be a defeat. This time, enough Republican defections — combined with unified Democratic support — pushed the measure over the line.

The vote is symbolic rather than legally binding. As a concurrent resolution, H.Con.Res.38 does not go to the president for signature and cannot be vetoed. The Supreme Court’s 1983 ruling in INS v. Chadha cast doubt on whether such legislative vetoes carry the force of law. But supporters argued the political significance is unmistakable: a majority of the House has now gone on record ordering the commander-in-chief to end the Iran campaign.

A long road to passage

The resolution’s journey to passage was marked by three prior failures and at least one aborted attempt. The most recent floor vote ended in a 212-212 tie, after which Republican leadership pulled a subsequent vote in late May when it became clear the measure would pass. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania had publicly confirmed he would vote for withdrawal, and Meeks told reporters at the time that Democrats “had the votes without question.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called the earlier delay “cowardly.” Speaker Mike Johnson declined to explain the postponement, while Rep. Steve Scalise said it was intended to allow absent members to return, CBS News reported.

The intervening days only deepened the political pressure on Republicans in swing districts. Oil prices pushed toward $100 a barrel as the Strait of Hormuz remained closed to commercial traffic. Iran struck Kuwait International Airport, killing one person and wounding approximately 60, demonstrating that Tehran’s asymmetric arsenal remains operational even as the administration insists its conventional forces have been degraded. And the CENTCOM naval blockade expanded to 125 vessels redirected and six disabled, extending a conflict that has cost taxpayers an estimated $25 billion according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s own disclosure.

Rubio’s testimony undercut the administration’s case

The vote came hours after Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified on Capitol Hill — his first appearance before Congress since the war began. Rubio argued that Iran’s military capabilities “have been reduced” but conceded under questioning from Rep. Dina Titus that Tehran still operates small attack boats armed with machine guns and retains some drone capability, Middle East Eye reported.

When Titus asked directly — “So is the war still on or is the war off?” — Rubio did not offer a definitive answer. He agreed that the military’s reliance on expensive weapons systems to counter inexpensive Iranian drones “needs to change,” an admission that undercut the administration’s narrative that the conflict is winding down.

Meanwhile, Iran claimed Wednesday that it struck a U.S. naval vessel hosting a command-and-control center near Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, firing more than 30 ballistic missiles, Middle East Eye reported. U.S. Central Command denied any such attack and characterized Iran’s strikes as “a deliberate, calculated, and unjustified attack.” The competing claims illustrated how far the two sides remain from any resolution even as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed that “contacts with Washington have not been cut off.”

Diplomacy and the Hormuz question

The House vote landed amid a parallel diplomatic push. President Trump claimed earlier Tuesday that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is directly involved in negotiations and that Iran has agreed to forgo nuclear weapons, though no verified framework has emerged. Trump said the Strait of Hormuz will reopen “immediately upon signing” a deal, Middle East Eye reported.

Speaker Johnson, who spent three hours at the White House with Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Rubio, told reporters afterward that the president is working on “that final piece” needed to restore commercial shipping through the strait, Middle East Eye reported. Johnson called on allied Arab states, NATO partners, and other nations to support the effort, saying “the entire world has an interest in the Strait of Hormuz being reopened for commerce.”

But Araghchi’s statement that “no progress has been made in the negotiations” — combined with Washington’s demand that Iran cease nuclear enrichment and abandon its ballistic missile program, both longstanding Iranian red lines — suggested the gap between the two sides remains wide.

What comes next: the Senate

Attention now shifts to the Senate, where Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is advancing a separate joint resolution that, unlike the House measure, would carry the force of law and go to the president’s desk for signature or veto. Foreign Policy reported Wednesday that the Senate could vote as early as next week.

The Senate arithmetic is uncertain but trending against the administration. Last month, Republicans broke ranks on a 50-47 procedural vote — the first time Democrats had won such a vote on Iran war powers since hostilities began. Three Republican senators were absent for that vote, CBS News reported, leaving the question of final passage unresolved. In the event of a 50-50 tie, Vice President Vance would be called upon to break the deadlock — a scenario that has attracted speculation given Vance’s reputation as less hawkish than other senior administration officials.

Overriding a presidential veto would require a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers, a threshold supporters have not approached. But Kaine argued Tuesday that Trump “can’t ignore the political signal” and urged the administration to “find an off ramp” before the conflict’s costs — financial, strategic, and political — mount further heading into November’s midterm elections.

The House has now spoken. Whether the Senate follows, and whether any of it alters the trajectory of a war that has reshaped Gulf energy markets and strained American alliances, remains the central question of the weeks ahead.