Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraftcarrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026.
U.S. House of Representatives Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic effort to end U.S. attacks on Iran, as Donald Trump’s party continued to prevent efforts to rein in the president’s war powers.
Representative Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, presided over an abbreviated “pro forma” House session, ending it before a group of Democrats could seek to pass by unanimous consent the resolution, which would have called for an end to the U.S. military operation.
While Thursday’s action was largely symbolic, top Democrats in the House and Senate have vowed to force war powers votes again when they return from recess next week.
Congressional Democrats have tried and repeatedly failed in recent months to pass war powers resolutions to force Trump to obtain lawmakers’ authorization before launching military operations in both Venezuela and Iran.
Trump’s threat early this week that “a whole civilization will die” intensified concern among Democrats, dozens of whom called for Trump’s removal from office. The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.
“Threatening genocide is not a negotiating tactic,” Representative Sara Jacobs, a California Democrat, told a news conference outside the Capitol after the pro forma session, held because Congress is out of Washington for the two-week Easter recess.
Trump announced that he had agreed to a ceasefire in the U.S.-Israel war on Iran on Tuesday, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the blockaded Strait of Hormuz or face devastating attacks on its civilian infrastructure.
The White House says Trump’s actions are legal and within his rights as commander-in-chief to protect the U.S. by ordering limited military operations.
Iran says its nuclear program is peaceful. The Trump administration has sought to portray the war as a decisive victory, although the top U.S. general said U.S. troops stood ready to resume fighting.
The parents of late actor Matthew Perry were seen leaving a Los Angeles courthouse Wednesday.
Trump’s fellow Republicans hold slim majorities in both the Senate and House, and have almost unanimously backed all his policies.
Although the U.S. Constitution says that Congress, not the president, can declare war, that restriction does not apply for short-term operations or if the country faces an immediate threat.
A RETURN TO IMPEACHMENT?
Almost since the beginning of Trump’s second term on January 20, 2025, Democrats have lashed out as they accused him of usurping Congress’ constitutional powers over federal spending and setting tariffs on foreign imports while testing limits on his military operations. Trump has also threatened to take over Greenland and end U.S. membership in NATO.
But one line nearly all Democrats in Congress refused to cross — until now — was even uttering the word “impeachment” in regard to Trump. (Reuters)
