Intel: Democrats wade into legal gray area with Iran war powers vote

The House passed a resolution 224-194 seeking to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct future offensive military actions against Iran.

The resolution, which passed largely along party lines, mirrors a similar resolution that Congress passed last year seeking to end US involvement in the Saudi-led coalition’s war against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. Both resolutions were introduced via expedited procedures laid out under the Vietnam-era War Powers Act of 1973, which allows any lawmaker to force a vote requiring the president to withdraw from military hostilities not authorized by Congress.

But there’s one key difference: the Iran resolution may not actually have the force of law, amounting to nothing more than a symbolic gesture from Congress.

Why it matters: Mindful that President Donald Trump would likely veto the Iran war powers resolution — as he did with the Yemen bill — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., opted to introduce the legislation as a concurrent resolution, which would not require the president’s signature should it pass the Senate. Congress passed the Yemen war powers bill as a joint resolution last year, allowing Trump to veto it.