Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., said on Newsmax Friday morning that the House's rejection Thursday of a war powers resolution targeting President Donald Trump's Iran campaign showed Congress was backing the president as lawmakers split sharply over how much authority the president should have in the widening conflict.
The Republican-led House defeated the measure 219-212 on March 5, one day after the Senate rejected a similar resolution by a 53-47 vote, preserving Trump's freedom to continue military operations against Iran without new congressional approval.
Wilson, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Committee, praised the outcome in an interview with "Wake Up America," saying, "I'm so grateful the House of Representatives joined the Senate [and] is standing with President Donald Trump."
"President Trump has been so courageous, and this should not be partisan," Wilson added. "The Iranians have been indiscriminate for 47 years at war with America, killing Democrats and Republicans, and so this should be a time we should come together."
The failed House resolution, co-sponsored by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., would have directed Trump to end U.S. involvement in hostilities with Iran unless Congress specifically authorized continued military action under the War Powers Resolution of 1973.
That law requires presidents to consult Congress before introducing U.S. forces into hostilities and generally bars sustained military action beyond 60 days without authorization, though administrations of both parties have long contested its reach.
Wilson argued Trump's policy could alter the regional balance of power and said, "The ripple effect of this … is just going to be incredible," before asserting that Iranian influence in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen could weaken significantly if Tehran loses ground.
He also compared the potential impact to the collapse of Soviet control in Europe and said, "What President Trump has done … it's been compared to the fall of the Berlin Wall, where dozens of countries of Central and Eastern Europe were liberated."
Asked whether Iranians themselves could bring down the regime without another long American ground war, Wilson said, "The people of Iran want change," and added, "This is Greater Persia. The people want to restore a great country."
Referring to lawmakers who backed the failed resolution, Wilson said, "I just can't fathom them not understanding the existential threat to Israel and the United States."
Wilson also invoked his family's military service, saying, "As a military dad, I've got four sons who have served in Iraq, Egypt, and Afghanistan," and his official House biography describes him as a retired colonel who served for 31 years in the Army Reserve and South Carolina Army National Guard.
Asked for a message to U.S. troops in the region, he said, "Our prayers are with them and with military families."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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