Long Island congressional members vote along party lines on War Powers Act

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday rejected an effort to block President Donald Trump from further strikes on Iran without congressional consent, with Long Island’s four members split along party lines.

The measure was defeated 219-212 with nearly total Republican opposition, as GOP Reps. Nick LaLota (R-Amityville) and Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) joined all but a handful of members of their party in voting against the measure.

Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) and Laura Gillen (Rockville Centre) voted in favor of the measure.

The vote was largely symbolic, because the U.S. Senate had already blocked advancement of a similar measure largely along party lines on Wednesday.

But Democrats led by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) wanted to put members on record to reflect the extent of political support, or opposition, to Trump's decision to launch a U.S.-Israel military strike against Iran with approval from Congress, which alone has the power to declare war.

Suozzi had said before the vote he was voting yes, because he “cannot support unchecked authority for this Administration, especially considering [Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth’s suggestion that he is willing to commit to troops on the ground,” Suozzi said in a statement.

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