Four House Republicans crossed party lines on Wednesday and voted to limit President Trump’s power to continue directing military action in Iran without congressional authorization, delivering a rebuke of the war that recently entered its fourth month.
The four hail from different factions within the G.O.P.; two are staunch conservatives with libertarian views that include opposition to foreign military intervention, while the other two are more mainstream Republicans from competitive districts where backing for the war could be a political liability. All of them expressed a firm belief that Congress, not the president alone, must weigh in on the scope and objectives of the war.
The measure they supported does not require a presidential signature but still faces long odds of being enacted — and even if it were, it would likely be challenged by the administration. But its adoption, along with a similar measure advancing in the Senate in recent weeks, was a clear repudiation of Mr. Trump’s handling of the war in Iran. It reflected growing uneasiness within his own party about an unpopular war that has dragged on well past when the president said it would.
Here is a look at who defected, and why.
Warren Davidson of Ohio
Representative Warren Davidson of Ohio, is a conservative and a libertarian who has long argued that Congress, not the president, should decide whether the United States enters military conflicts.
A former member of the House Freedom Caucus and a frequent ally of Mr. Trump on domestic policy, Mr. Davidson has often broken with leaders of both parties on questions involving war powers, surveillance authorities and executive branch power.
He was among the first Republicans to break with Mr. Trump on the war in Iran, siding with Democrats in March on the first war powers resolution they offered after the conflict began. But after facing pressure from the White House and Republican leaders, he had reversed himself and joined the rest of his party in opposing two similar measures in April and May, helping the party maintain a largely united front behind the president’s handling of the conflict.
On Wednesday, however, Mr. Davidson reverted to his original stance and voted with Democrats to advance the measure, helping secure its adoption.
Afterward, he defended the vote in a brief statement: “Define the mission. Authorize the mission. Accomplish the mission.”
Tom Barrett of Michigan
Mr. Barrett, a first-term Republican and former Army helicopter pilot who faces a tough re-election race in his competitive Lansing-area district, has emerged as one of the most junior members of his party willing to publicly question the administration’s handling of the war in Iran.
Earlier this spring, he introduced legislation that would authorize military action against Iran for a limited period while imposing a firm deadline for winding down the conflict and barring the use of U.S. ground troops. At the time, Mr. Barrett, whose deployments over more than two decades in the military included Iraq and Kuwait, framed the bill in part as an effort to ensure the current operation in the Middle East had more clearly defined mission objectives and deadlines than previous conflicts.
Mr. Barrett, who has voted with Mr. Trump on the overwhelming majority of issues, was initially aligned with Republican leaders during the first two House votes on the war in Iran. But in May, he broke with his party and sided with Democrats.
“My support of this resolution tonight is consistent with my belief that it is time for Congress to decide the scope of the mission and the appropriate limits on the use of force in Iran,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania
Mr. Fitzpatrick, whose suburban Philadelphia district is also competitive, is one of the most centrist Republicans in the House.
A former F.B.I. agent, he has frequently broken with his party on a range of foreign policy and national security issues.
Like Mr. Barrett, Mr. Fitzpatrick initially voted with Republicans against war powers measures, but he flipped his position in May, arguing that the legal window for the president to act without authorization from Congress had expired and that lawmakers could no longer defer to the executive branch.
“We must keep the world safe, and we must also follow the law,” he said in a statement following that vote. “The War Powers Act of 1973 states that any conflict exceeding 60 days must be brought to Congress.”
Thomas Massie of Kentucky
Mr. Massie, a libertarian, has been by far the most vocal and frequent Republican defector from Mr. Trump in Congress, a distinction that cost him his seat last month when he was defeated by the president’s handpicked primary challenger.
Mr. Massie, who has long opposed American military intervention abroad, has been the leading Republican advocate in the House for forcing Congress to vote on the conflict in Iran.
A conservative and deficit hawk, Mr. Massie has often broken with his party and presidents of both parties on war, spending and — in Mr. Trump’s case — the release of the Epstein files.
