A House Republican facing a brutal re-election fight is daring to challenge his own party’s president—breaking with the White House claim that the Iran war is already over.
Rep. Tom Barrett, an Army veteran who served multiple tours in the Middle East, introduced a resolution Thursday that would authorize combat operations only through the end of July. The mission: permanently degrade Iran’s nuclear program, address “imminent threats,” enforce a naval blockade, and keep U.S. ships safe through the Strait of Hormuz.
But here’s the part that sends shockwaves through Washington: Barrett’s measure slams the brakes on any endless war. It strictly limits boots on the ground, bans “nation-building,” and prohibits occupying or seizing Iranian territory.
“Two things have been clear from the very beginning: Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the United States of America cannot be dragged into another endless war,” Barrett declared. “The commander in chief has the sole authority to lead our troops in wartime, but I’ve lost too many friends on the battlefield to allow that to happen without Congress exercising its constitutional role to clearly define the mission with safeguards and a deadline.”
His voice carried the weight of personal loss. “If we don’t learn from our foreign policy failures of the past, we are bound to repeat them,” he added.
Barrett isn’t alone. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska announced she will introduce a similar measure in the Senate—a “restraint” on President Trump, as she described it.
The move directly contradicts the White House stance. Administration officials flatly declared that the ceasefire that began April 7 effectively ended the 60-day War Powers Resolution clock. “For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28 have terminated,” a senior official argued last week.
Yet Barrett’s office insisted that “U.S. military operations are ongoing.” The gap between what the administration says and what troops on the ground are doing could not be starker.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio even called the 1973 War Powers Resolution unconstitutional, claiming the administration only complies with notification requirements out of respect for Congress. “We comply with it in terms of, like, notification because we want to preserve good relations with Congress,” Rubio told reporters.
Trump has repeatedly extended the ceasefire with Iran as mediators work toward a permanent end. Barrett’s resolution allows a 30-day “wind-down period” if the administration needs more time past the July 30 deadline.
The timing is no accident. Barrett, a freshman representing a Lansing-area district, faces a potentially devastating re-election battle this November. Two Democrats—Bridget Brink, the former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine under Biden, and retired Navy SEAL Matt Maasdam—are fighting for the chance to unseat him in a swing seat rated a “toss-up” by nonpartisan analysts.
Whether Barrett will join Democrats in backing a war powers resolution to block any military action against Iran without congressional approval remains an open question when lawmakers return to Washington next week. The White House declined to comment.
