House Republican Leadership Pulls Iran War Powers Resolution Vote as GOP Defections Threaten Passage

Republican House leaders on May 22, 2026 abruptly canceled a scheduled floor vote on a war powers resolution that would have ended Trump's authority to conduct military operations against Iran without congressional authorization. Procedural whip counts showed Republicans were on the verge of losing the measure, with multiple GOP members absent and others publicly wavering over the constitutionality of the US-Iran war, now in its 83rd day without a formal Congressional authorization under the War Powers Resolution. The canceled vote reflects deepening fractures within the Republican caucus over the Iran conflict — particularly among libertarian and budget hawks who had long argued the WPR requires congressional action after the 60-day deadline. The administration has maintained that the WPR clock was paused or reset by the indefinite ceasefire declared April 7, 2026. Democratic minority leaders condemned the cancellation as confirmation that 'Republicans can't defend the president's warmaking.' The vote pullback comes amid Al-Arabiya's leak of a potential US-Iran peace deal framework, raising hopes of an imminent diplomatic resolution that could moot the immediate constitutional crisis over war authorization.