Politics
Massie to Force House Vote on Ending U.S. Role in Iran War Before Leaving Office
Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie has introduced a War Powers resolution directing President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran and says he will force a floor vote before his term ends. Two similar Iran-related resolutions are already pending in the House.
Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie said Saturday that he will force a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on whether to pull American troops out of hostilities with Iran before he leaves office, setting up a rare congressional test of the president's war-making authority.
Massie announced that he introduced a resolution earlier in the week directing President Donald Trump to remove U.S. armed forces from the war with Iran. The measure, H.Con.Res. 126, invokes the War Powers Resolution, a federal law that gives Congress a say in whether the military gets involved in foreign conflicts.
Massie said he could force a vote on his resolution in mid-December if House Speaker Mike Johnson does not cancel any scheduled legislative days. He also noted that two other Iran-related War Powers resolutions, H.Con.Res. 86 and H.Con.Res. 89, are already waiting for action in the House and could come up for a vote before his.
Massie said he intends to ensure a vote takes place before his term ends at the beginning of next year.
"I'll be forcing a vote to END THE WAR in Iran before my term is up," Massie wrote.
The resolution would direct the president to remove U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran. It does not, by itself, guarantee an end to the war or require other countries to stop their involvement.
The move comes as Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican who has broken with his party on issues including surveillance and foreign military intervention, prepares to leave Congress. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to military action and limits how long troops can remain engaged without congressional authorization. Lawmakers have periodically used the statute to challenge presidential war powers, though such resolutions rarely pass both chambers.
For Kentucky voters, the vote would offer a clear record of where their representatives stand on a conflict that has divided both parties. Massie's push also underscores broader unease in Congress over the scope of U.S. military involvement abroad and the balance of power between the legislative and executive branches.