House Republicans Pull Iran War Vote as 12 Absences Threaten Their 216-Seat Edge

6 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 24

Republican leaders yanked a House vote on a resolution to end the Iran war after concluding they lacked the numbers to defeat it.
Three Republican defections alone were not enough to pass the measure, but a dozen members were absent during Thursday’s first vote series, scrambling the count before the war-powers vote could occur.
Five vacant House seats have already lowered the full-chamber majority threshold from 218 to 216, making attendance unusually decisive in a chamber with a razor-thin GOP majority.
The episode underscored how resignations, deaths and uneven attendance in both parties can now determine whether leaders even risk bringing contentious national-security measures to the floor.

With diplomacy failing and Congress divided, what is the endgame for the costly war in Iran?

How does a handful of absent lawmakers alter the course of a nation's war policy?

Beyond the battlefield, how is the Iran war reshaping global energy markets and alliances?