National

US House narrowly rejects bid to rein in Trump Iran war powers

A person walks in front of an American flag in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
A person walks in front of an American flag in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 14, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper Reuters

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WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly defeated a Democratic-led resolution aiming to stop the Iran war until hostilities are authorized by Congress, but the effort to rein in President Donald Trump's military campaign failed by the closest possible margin.

The House voted 212 to 212 on the war powers resolution, meaning it failed because it needed a simple majority to pass.

It was the third House vote this year on an Iran war powers resolution, and the first since the conflict hit a 60-day deadline on May 1 for Trump to come to Congress about the war. Trump declared then that a ceasefire had "terminated" hostilities against Iran.

The votes have been getting tighter, with Trump's fellow Republicans holding just a slim majority. The last war powers resolution failed on April 16 by just 213-214, with one member voting "present."

They also have been getting tighter in the Senate, where a war powers resolution was blocked by 50-49 on Wednesday as three Republicans joined every Democrat except one in voting to advance the measure.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 2:16 PM.

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