‘Cowardly’: Democrats Criticize House Republicans for Abruptly Canceling War Powers Vote

Democrats issued a sharp rebuke of House Republicans after they abruptly canceled a planned war powers vote aimed at ending the conflict in Iran unless President Donald Trump gains the authorization of Congress.

“We had the votes to pass it today. Every Democrat was on board, we had the sufficient number of Republicans on board,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, who sponsored the resolution and serves as the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Let’s be clear: Republicans pulled this vote because they knew they were going to lose it. They know this war is a political and strategic disaster,” he later added.

According to Meeks, the vote “procedurally” must happen when lawmakers return after ⁠the Memorial Day recess in early June.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told reporters the vote had been delayed to allow absent lawmakers time to return and participate. House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly did not answer media questions as he left the House chamber.

The delay has drawn fierce criticism from Democrats.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar described Republican leadership as “cowardly” and accused them of having “failed” the country.

“For nearly three months, Donald Trump has forced America and our men and women in uniform into a reckless and costly war of choice in Iran,” they said in a joint statement.

They argued the conflict had continued “without clear objectives, an exit strategy, public support or the authorization required by the United States Congress.”

“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,” added the Democratic leaders.

Democrats framed the move as an indication that Johnson lacked the support needed to sustain Trump’s war effort, pointing to growing fractures within the GOP.

“Speaker Johnson just cancelled a vote on the Iran war powers resolution because he knows a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives would have voted to end President Trump’s illegal war in Iran,” argued Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota. “The Speaker’s cowardly decision is a complete failure of leadership.” 

Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington described the move as “shameful” and “a ridiculous legislative trick,” while vowing to “keep up the pressure” for the resolution to pass once Congress returns.

“Congress cannot be a rubber stamp as President Trump drags us deeper into an illegal war in Iran with no end in sight. Our troops and our country deserve better,” said Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois.

Earlier this year, the House voted to block three war powers resolutions with near unanimous support from GOP lawmakers.

But that unyielding support has since wavered amid growing concerns over the cost of the Iran war and upset from the general public over how the Trump Administration is handling the economy. 

The House narrowly rejected a war powers resolution last week in a 212-212 tie after three Republicans—Rep. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky—sided with Democrats.

Earlier this week, the Senate voted to advance a separate war powers resolution after four Republican Senators joined Democrats in backing the measure.

Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who had all previously voted in favour of the resolution, were crucially joined by Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

Cassidy, who was ousted days before in a competitive Republican primary after Trump endorsed a rival candidate, said that “until the Administration provides clarity, no congressional authorization or extension can be justified.”

“Republicans used to be able to vote to table these proposals, but they don’t have the unanimity that they need to do that anymore,” says Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame.

The un-sitting of certain legislators may underscore Trump’s hold over GOP voters, he tells TIME, but those same lawmakers may show a “willingness to enforce congressional influence over war powers” because they no longer need to seek Trump’s support in a re-election campaign. 

Even if the resolution is eventually passed by both chambers, the path for a full passage has other complications, as Trump is expected to veto the efforts.

But this could come at a price, experts note.

 “If the President were to veto that, he’s likely to suffer some political cost in public opinion or political capital on Capitol Hill,” Gholz tells TIME.  

Amid struggling approval ratings, Trump paused “a planned military attack” on Iran earlier this week, citing he was holding back at the request of Gulf leaders.

But he warned military officials to “be prepared to go forward with a full, large-scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable deal is not reached.”

At present, Washington and Tehran remain at an impasse with peace talks stalled. 

Disagreements over Iran’s nuclear capabilities and how the Strait of Hormuz should be managed moving forward remain key stumbling blocks. 

Meanwhile, the Iran war is growing increasingly unpopular with Americans amid a worsening global energy crisis caused by the continued disruption of the Strait, which has driven up gas prices across the U.S.

An AP-NORC poll published on May 20 showed that 64% of Americans said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran.

Similarly, a New York Times/Siena poll conducted May 11-15 found that 65% of American respondents said they somewhat or strongly disapproved of the way Trump has handled the war in Iran.