House Democrats are poised to secure their first successful vote on an Iran war powers resolution, with holdout Rep. Jared Golden announcing he will flip his position and at least one Republican signaling uncertainty about how to vote.
The shift could break a months-long deadlock. Democratic leaders told Axios they are confident the measure will pass when the House votes Thursday. Rep. Jim Himes, the Intelligence Committee's top Democrat and a key architect of the resolution, said he is "feeling pretty good" about its prospects.
Golden, a Maine Democrat who has been the party's consistent voice against Iran war powers measures, explained his reversal in practical terms. The conflict has now extended beyond the 60-day threshold mandated by the War Powers Act, he noted, triggering the constitutional requirement for congressional authorization or presidential action to wind down military operations. He also stressed that the latest version is "clean," distinguishing it from a failed resolution voted on just days earlier.
The Republican side shows cracks too. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a retiring centrist and past opponent of Iran war powers votes, told Axios he feels "very split" on the upcoming measure. While he acknowledged that Trump "needs more authorities to use force," Bacon invoked constitutional concerns about Article One power reservations. He noted the president's well-known resistance to congressional oversight: "The President doesn't like it. Granted, he would prefer not to have Congress." Bacon has been a vocal critic of what he views as presidential overreach on military matters.
Even if the measure passes, its impact would be limited. President Trump retains veto power, making the vote largely symbolic. Democrats frame it differently, seeing passage as a significant political statement against military escalation.
The path to Thursday's vote has been chaotic. Democrats attempted to pass a war powers resolution last week and saw it die in a stunning 212-212 tie. Golden voted against that measure, while three Republicans, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Tom Barrett of Michigan, supported it. Republican leadership deliberately delayed Wednesday's scheduled vote, citing the razor-thin margins. Twenty House members were absent that afternoon, seven Democrats and thirteen Republicans, a disparity that would have likely changed the outcome.
"Like everything else around here it's about the absences," Himes told Axios. Democratic leaders suggested the postponement was tactical. "It would have passed today, that's why they pulled it," House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Greg Meeks said bluntly.
The absence pattern reflects deeper fractures. Reps. Tom Kean Jr. and Frederica Wilson have missed weeks of votes, muddying the dynamics for close calls on either side of the aisle.
Author James Rodriguez: "One party's symbolic victory looks increasingly real if absences can be managed, but a Trump veto will ensure this stays a political fight, not a policy shift."
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