House Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic effort to halt U.S. military strikes on Iran, continuing a partisan pattern that has kept limits on the president's war powers from succeeding in Congress.
The brief proceeding was a pro forma House session presided over by Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey. The session was cut short before Democrats could attempt to pass a resolution by unanimous consent that would have aimed to end U.S. attacks on Iran.
Democrats in both chambers of Congress have made repeated attempts in recent months to pass war-powers resolutions that would force the president to obtain congressional authorization before undertaking military operations. Those efforts have failed multiple times, including attempts tied to both Venezuela and Iran.
The partisan impasse has been set against heightened rhetoric from the president earlier in the week, when he warned that "a whole civilization will die." That statement deepened concerns among Democrats, prompting dozens to call for the president's removal from office.
Outside the Capitol after the pro forma session - which was held because Congress is on a two-week Easter recess - Representative Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat, told reporters: "Threatening genocide is not a negotiating tactic." Her remarks came at a news conference following the abbreviated session.
The episode followed the president's announcement earlier in the week that he had agreed to a ceasefire in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. That announcement came less than two hours before a deadline the president set for Tehran to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
The White House has defended the president's actions as lawful and within his authority as commander-in-chief to protect the United States by ordering limited military operations. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.
The Trump administration has framed the conflict as a decisive victory, even as the nation's top general said U.S. troops remained prepared to resume fighting. Republicans hold slim majorities in both the House and the Senate and have been largely united in supporting the president's policies.
The U.S. Constitution assigns to Congress the power to declare war, but the article notes that this restriction is commonly interpreted not to apply to short-term operations or situations in which an immediate threat is perceived.
Context and implications: The pro forma session and its abrupt end underscore the difficulty Democrats face in translating congressional concern into binding constraints on the president's use of military force. The White House and Republican congressional leaders have shown consistent inclination to back the president's decisions on limited military actions, while Democrats continue to press for statutory checks.