House Speaker Mike Johnson is likely feeling mounting pressure after a vote on a resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran was pulled.

Amid the scheduled vote on Thursday night, it was apparent that House Republicans did not have the votes to defeat the Democratic resolution, and the measure was ultimately scrapped until next month, the Associated Press reports.

Johnson has been an outspoken supporter of Trump’s military campaign in Iran, saying just last week that, “The president has declared Operation Epic Fury to have concluded, and now we’re working on the next project, which is getting the Strait of Hormuz open. We don’t expect that to be a warfare activity, so to speak. So we’ve got to allow the administration time to negotiate these things.”

Johnson later added, “I don’t think Congress needs to get in the way of the administration as they finish what is now a negotiation instead of a military conflict.”

Newsweek reached out to Johnson’s office via email on Thursday night for comment.

Robert Y. Shapiro, professor at Columbia University, told Newsweek via email late Thursday night: “This is Mike Johnson continuing to do the president’s bidding. What is unclear is whether he genuinely supports the president on everything under the sun, which includes where things are in the Iran war now, or whether he is fearful of Trump’s wrath in maintaining his political stature.”

What To Know

According to The New York Times, House leadership called off the vote after an unrelated measure sparked chaos on the floor. Members were absent and instead of potentially risking the resolution passing, the war powers resolution vote was canceled. When asked if Republicans would have lost the vote, GOP House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said, according to numerous outlets, “Well we just had some members that weren’t there for it who wanted to be recorded on it. So we’re going to be giving them that opportunity when we get back.”

D. Stephen Voss, political science professor at the University of Kentucky, also told Newsweek late Thursday night: “So far, congressional Republicans have sat back while Donald Trump expanded the power of the presidency at the expense of Congress. Trump’s success ending a few congressional careers has come with an unpleasant side effect for him, though, which is now Congress includes Republicans with nothing to lose, and they’re willing to join with Democrats to check executive authority. It would be silly to blame Speaker of the House Mike Johnson for any problems he’s having lining up the troops when it’s Trump who sent them scattering.”

Earlier this week, the Senate, including Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, voted alongside Democrats to force the Iran War Powers debate.

Cassidy was fresh off a primary loss against a Trump-backed opponent when he cast his vote. His support was enough to help those in favor of the resolution—which has seen multiple attempts—reach a majority.

On Thursday, Democratic lawmakers reacted to the vote being pulled, calling out Johnson.

Representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, said on X, “NEWS: Republicans just pulled a vote on the Iran War Powers Resolution because they knew they were going to lose. They rigged the rules to protect the president’s historically unpopular war from a fair up or down vote.”

Representative Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, also said on X Thursday, “Speaker Johnson just cancelled a vote on the Iran War Powers resolution because he knows a bipartisan majority of the House of Representatives would have voted to end President Trump’s illegal war in Iran. The Speaker’s cowardly decision is a complete failure of leadership. Republicans care more about protecting President Trump than they do about you.”

Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, said: “They probably did it because they didn’t have the votes.” He voted with Democrats on a similar resolution last week and, according to the Times, planned to do so again.

“I don’t think they’re going to have the votes when we get back,” he said, per the outlet. “The next time they bring it, it’s passing.”

Johnson’s GOP holds a slim majority in the House, with 217 seats compared to 212. In the Senate, Republicans hold 53 seats versus 47 by the Democrats.