The United States House of Representatives Wednesday approved a resolution restricting President Donald Trump’s ability to continue the war against Iran, news agency Reuters reported.
The House voted 215 to 208, as four Republicans voted with Democrats in favor of the war powers resolution, directing Trump to withdraw US troops from Iran unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force, according to the report.
“The passage of this WPR today signals a significant turning point: more and more Republicans are listening to their constituents who do not want another open-ended war in the Middle East,” Representative Gregory Meeks, a sponsor of the war powers resolution, said in a statement following the vote.
The setback reflects the growing concern of members of the Republican party about the US president’s handling of the three-month-old conflict.
‘Symbolic’ vote
Although symbolic, since the legislation must pass the Senate and the House to become effective, the latest vote marks a rare bipartisan effort to curb presidential powers as the war entered its fourth month in June, Reuters highlighted.
No Democrats voted against the resolution. Seven House members did not register their votes, the report mentioned.
However, despite the successful voting, it faces a final hurdle at the White House, where the US president holds the veto power to block the measure, Al Jazeera noted.
The debate whether war powers resolutions would be constitutional even if they receive Congress’ approval also continues to prevail.
The three previous war powers resolutions had failed in the Republican-led House, however, by slim margins. The Senate had put forward a separate, but similar resolution last month in a procedural vote, after seven previous attempts failed.
Further voting on the measure have not yet been scheduled, Reuters confirmed.
Republicans push back against Trump
Trump continues to face some opposition from members of the Republican party in Congress.
On Wednesday, the US House approved a procedural motion that paves way for a vote on the Ukraine Support Act, which aims to provide security aid to Ukraine as it fights against Russia, Reuters reported.
The act reached the floor only after the petition reached a 218-signature threshold in May to proceed. Six Republicans and an independent member voted in favor of the Ukraine measure.
Republicans also revolted against Trump’s plans to create a “weaponization” fund to pay his political allies, alleged to have been subject to governmental abuse, the report stated.
Republican lawmakers also criticized Trump’s pick of loyalist Bill Pulte – a mortgage regulator with no national security experience – to serve as acting director of national intelligence, the news agency noted.
Battle for power in the US
Democrats called on Trump to come to Congress seeking authorization to use military force in his war with Iran, noting that the US Constitution stated only the legislature, not the president, could declare war, Reuters reported.
They warned that Trump may have pulled the country into a longer conflict without setting out a clear strategy, while they railed against higher prices for gasoline, food and other products since the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran began on February 28 this year.
Democrats have made ‘affordability’ of goods a central theme ahead of midterm elections in November that would decide whether Republicans keep control of Congress, according to the report.
US producer prices reported their highest increase in four years in the month of April, boosted by soaring costs for goods and services since the war began, Reuters highlighted.
The Trump administration has insisted that the war on Iran is necessary for US national security, citing an urgent need to prevent the Islamic republic from developing a nuclear weapon.
On the other hand, Republican critics of the resolution have called the move as political grandstanding by Democrats who look to weaken the US and score points against Trump, the report quoted.
Trump continues to face some opposition from members of his party in Congress. (AP Photo) 
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