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U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday dismissed a House vote to curtail his authority to wage war against Iran as "meaningless," lashing out at four Republicans who crossed party lines to pass the measure at what he called a critical moment in negotiations with Tehran.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the vote came "right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran."
"Who would do such an unpatriotic thing. They know where the negotiations stand. The Democrats are fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome. They would rather have our Country fail than give me another, of many, victories. The four Republicans, that's a whole other story — They're GRANDSTANDERS! They should be ashamed of themselves. MAGA!!!" Trump wrote.
The four Republicans who voted with Democrats were Reps. Thomas Massie, Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett and Warren Davidson.
The resolution was introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who called its passage a "significant bipartisan rebuke" of Trump's "illegal and costly war" in Iran.
"Trump's war has failed to accomplish the Trump administration's stated goals with respect to Iran. If anything, it has pushed a diplomatic resolution of Iran's nuclear program further away," Meeks said.
Democrats have argued Trump violated the Constitution by launching strikes on Iran alongside Israel in late February without congressional authorization.
Under the War Powers Act, presidents have 60 days to obtain congressional approval after introducing U.S. forces into hostilities, a deadline that passed weeks ago.
Meeks also argued the war had undermined the credibility of U.S. negotiations and allowed Iran to demonstrate its leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.
"The passage of this WPR today signals a significant turning point: more and more Republicans are listening to their constituents who do not want another open-ended war in the Middle East," he said, urging the Senate to take up the measure. "If he won't clean up his own mess, Congress will."
The resolution now heads to the Senate, where a similar war powers measure has already cleared a procedural vote ahead of a final floor vote.
Should the Senate pass the measure, it would go to Trump's desk, where a presidential veto is widely expected.
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