With Memorial Day approaching and gas prices climbing, cracks inside the Republican Party over Trump’s war with Iran have never been more visible.
House GOP leaders abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution to limit President Trump’s war powers in Iran, just as Republicans were on the verge of losing the vote due to absences.
It would have been Congress’ first successful rebuke of Trump’s Iran war effort after multiple Democratic-led war powers attempts had failed. Four Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Thomas Massie, Warren Davidson and Tom Barrett, had previously voted in support of similar measures, and Rep. Jared Golden, the one Democrat who had consistently voted against such resolutions, was planning to flip his vote to yes.
It was the latest sign of slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval. On Capitol Hill, patience with the war has worn thin as the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global shipping and elevates gas prices across the country.
The vote is largely symbolic, as Trump can veto the measure. GOP leaders plan to bring it back up when the chamber returns from its week-long Memorial Day recess.
Top House Democratic leaders were swift to condemn the move. “Republicans cowardly pulled a scheduled vote on a War Powers Resolution, legislation that would have passed with bipartisan support and required the President to end the conflict in the Middle East,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar in a joint statement.
Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the bill, was equally blunt: “We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they’re playing a political game.”
The US and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026. Democrats have argued that forcing Republicans to go on the record with their support of the intervention will cost the GOP dearly in this midterm election year, as the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East continue to spiral.