House Republican leadership abruptly canceled a vote on a resolution to limit President Trump’s war powers in the Middle East, multiple outlets report. The decision follows weeks of internal party conflict after Republicans lost control of the House floor during an unrelated vote, with several members defecting and others absent.
“Republicans were on the verge of losing the vote due to absences,” CNN reported. A scheduled vote on the war powers resolution is now delayed until early June.
The move came days after a similar measure advanced in the Senate with a 50-47 vote, where three Republicans—Senators John Cornyn of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—opted not to participate. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar condemned the cancellation in a joint statement: “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.”
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), who sponsored the legislation, stated the House is now expected to reconvene for the vote after Memorial Day recess. “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,” Meeks told reporters earlier this week.
The Senate’s recent advance of a comparable resolution underscored growing dissent within Trump’s party. Earlier in the week, President Trump defended the campaign against Iran as popular among Americans, claiming “it’s very popular when they hear that it’s having to do with nuclear weapons.” House Republicans, however, face mounting pressure after their earlier vote collapse and the Senate’s bipartisan progress on limiting presidential military action.