Lawmakers voted down a bipartisan resolution led by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna that would have required Trump to obtain congressional authorization before continuing military operations against Tehran.
The measure fell short by 212 votes to 219, a day after the Senate rejected a similar effort, underscoring Congress's limited appetite -- particularly among Republicans -- for confronting the White House in the early days of the conflict.
Even if it had passed both chambers, Trump would have been able to veto the legislation -- a step that would have required two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override, an almost impossible threshold in the current Congress.
The conflict has also claimed American lives: six US servicemembers were killed in a strike on a US base in Kuwait, intensifying pressure on lawmakers to weigh in on a war that Congress has not explicitly authorized.
Democrats -- who are expected to push for further votes -- argue the administration has offered shifting explanations for the campaign and has failed to demonstrate that Iran posed an imminent threat requiring immediate military action.
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