The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to allow President Trump to continue the ongoing military campaign against Iran, rejecting a bipartisan attempt to restrict his authority to conduct the operation.

The measure, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican, and Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat, sought to block the president from using U.S. armed forces in the joint U.S.-Israeli campaign known as Operation Epic Fury.

The resolution ultimately failed after several Democrats joined the majority of Republicans in opposing the measure, allowing the operation to proceed without congressional limitations.

Had the legislation passed, it would likely have forced the military campaign against Iran to come to a halt.

The Trump administration and most Republican lawmakers argued that the president is acting within his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief and that halting the operation could endanger U.S. forces and national security.

Opponents of the operation, however, raised concerns about the scope of presidential war powers.

During debate on the House floor, Massie criticized the campaign, saying, “The Ayatollah was not a president. He was a religious leader from a region notorious for radical Islamists and the United States and Israel turned him into a martyr.”

“If Congress wants war, then the speaker should hold a vote to declare it,” Massie added.

Supporters of the operation strongly pushed back against those arguments.

Rep. Mike Lawler defended the president’s authority earlier this week, saying, “I think the president is well within his legal authorities to conduct this operation.”

“I think any effort to stymie that would actually jeopardize our national security and jeopardize our troops,” Lawler added.

The vote represents a major political victory for the Trump administration as U.S. and Israeli forces continue the ongoing military campaign targeting Iranian missile infrastructure and military assets.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)