House Republican leadership abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution to limit President Trump’s war powers in Iran, multiple outlets report.
“Republicans were on the verge of losing the vote due to absences,” CNN stated.
A vote on the matter is now reportedly delayed until June.
Breaking News: House Republicans abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran or win approval from Congress to continue the war, after it became clear they lacked the votes to defeat the measure. https://t.co/2YCMl8GIbj
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 21, 2026
More from The New York Times:
The decision to shelve the war powers resolution came after Republicans had lost control of the floor during an earlier unrelated vote, with several of their members defecting and several more absent. As the House chamber descended into chaos, leaders wary of risking another public defeat on a far more politically consequential vote abruptly scrapped the Iran war measure.
The move came just days after a similar resolution moved ahead in the Senate, when a handful of G.O.P. defectors broke from the president and opposed the war. That vote indicated an increasing willingness by some members of the president’s party to pressure him to end a conflict that a majority of Americans say is not worth the costs.
Last week, a similar measure failed in the House by the barest of margins — on a tie vote — leaving Republican leaders no room for more defections.
“They probably did it because they didn’t have the votes,” said Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who last week sided with Democrats in favor of a similar resolution and said he had planned to do so again on Thursday. “I don’t think they’re going to have the votes when we get back.”
“The next time they bring it,” he added, “it’s passing.”
Republican absences in the upper legislative chamber played a significant role in the war powers resolution advancing in the Senate.
The Senate advanced the measure in a 50-47 vote.
Three Republicans — Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — did not vote.
“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,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement, CNN noted.
“This is not over. When the House returns, Republicans will have no choice but to take this vote. Democrats will not stop fighting until Congress reasserts its constitutional authority and this war is brought to an end,” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement.
Ranking Member @RepGregoryMeeks issued the following statement after Speaker Johnson postponed a vote on his Iran War Powers Resolution: pic.twitter.com/LUqqmxwxMx
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems (@HouseForeign) May 22, 2026
CNN shared further:
Meeks told reporters the vote is now expected to take place in early June after the chamber returns from its Memorial Day recess.
Earlier in the week, Meeks told reporters he thought House Speaker Mike Johnson had been stalling a vote on the measure. “A lot of my Republican colleagues are feeling the pressure back home when they’re looking at the cost of food, the cost of gas,” he said.
The Senate advanced a similar resolution earlier in the week to limit Trump’s ability to carry out military action against Iran without congressional approval.
The cancelled House vote comes after President Donald Trump told reporters earlier this week that he believes the US campaign against Iran has been popular among Americans.
“Look, everyone tells me it’s unpopular, but I think it’s very popular when you, when they hear that it’s having to do with nuclear weapons, weapons that could take out Los Angeles, could take out major cities very quick,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
What’s your view?