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By Steve Mollman
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Republican Representative Thomas Massie says he is offering his colleagues a "life boat from MAGA" as he prepares another attempt to force a congressional vote on ending President Donald Trump's war in Iran.
The Kentucky congressman, who will leave office in January after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, said he is trying to persuade more Republicans to break with the president over the conflict.
"I'm offering Republicans a life boat from MAGA," Massie told Fox News Digital in an interview published Saturday.
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He also accused Republicans of remaining "still in the suicide pact with this administration," suggesting that continued loyalty to Trump could carry political consequences following the GOP's losses in the November 3 midterm elections.
Massie later wrote on X: "I'll be forcing a vote to END THE WAR in Iran before my term is up."
The effort could force Republican lawmakers to take another public position on the conflict before Democrats assume control of Congress in January. But whether Massie can attract enough additional GOP support remains uncertain.
Newsweek reached out to Massie and the White House on Saturday.
Thomas Massie Seeks Republican Defectors Over Iran War
Massie told Fox that another War Powers resolution could reach the House floor in the "next few legislative days" or around Christmas.
The measure would seek to direct the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities in Iran, challenging the Trump administration's authority to continue military operations without congressional authorization.
Massie has been seeking additional Republican support, although lawmakers interviewed by Fox offered differing assessments of his prospects.
Representative Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican, told Fox that "one or two" additional Republicans could support the measure.
Representative Tom Barrett of Michigan, who previously supported an Iran War Powers resolution, told Fox on Thursday that he would maintain his position if the new measure resembled the previous legislation.
Barrett, however, expressed skepticism that significantly more Republicans would break ranks.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican, said he would oppose the resolution but confirmed that Massie had been speaking with colleagues.
"Massie has been having conversations with members," Rogers told Fox.
Barrett, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania were among seven Republicans who joined Democrats in passing an Iran War Powers resolution in September. The measure passed the House 220-204.
Massie's latest effort would revisit that fight following Republicans' midterm losses, with the Kentucky congressman hoping to persuade more members of his party to break with Trump. The previous House vote did not compel the administration to withdraw U.S. forces, underscoring the obstacles facing another attempt to end the war through Congress.
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Iran War Exposes Republican Divisions After Midterms
Massie's appeal comes less than two weeks after Republicans suffered major losses in the midterm elections, with the Iran war emerging as a source of internal disagreement over the party's direction.
Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the war's political consequences following the election, writing on X: "The reason we lost is the war."
Massie has made a similar argument, suggesting that Republicans who continue supporting the conflict risk further alienating voters.
At a November 9 news conference, Massie argued that the war's economic consequences were particularly damaging to the party.
"People are more opposed to the consequences of this war than they are this war," he said, pointing to rising gasoline and diesel prices, fertilizer costs and grocery bills.
He also urged Republicans to distance themselves from the administration's handling of the conflict.
"This is the best vote you can take right now to put some daylight between yourself and the failed policy of this war in Iran. And the way that it's been handled," Massie said.
Polling suggests that opposition to continuing the war extends into the Republican electorate.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted November 6-9 found that 51 percent of Republicans supported Congress passing legislation to end the Iran war.
Democrats, meanwhile, believe the election results could encourage additional Republicans to challenge Trump.
"The threat of Trump dumping a lot of money into Republican districts is over, perhaps more members of Congress we think represent their communities will listen to what constituents are saying about the war," Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva of Arizona told Fox.
Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts also expressed hope that Republicans would change their positions.
"If they're listening to the people that sent them here, yes," she told the outlet.
Donald Trump and Thomas Massie's Long-Running Feud
Massie's latest challenge follows months of clashes with Trump over the Iran war, government spending and the release of files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The libertarian-leaning Republican has repeatedly argued that Trump's military operations in Iran contradict the "America First" promises that helped bring him back to the White House.
In August, Massie warned that the conflict could become the administration's "biggest and most costly blunder."
He cited military spending, higher costs for consumers and damage to America's international standing.
"We should walk away from this now," Massie wrote at the time.
Trump backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in his successful May primary challenge against Massie, ensuring the congressman's nearly 14-year tenure representing Kentucky's 4th Congressional District would end in January.
The president has repeatedly portrayed Massie as disloyal to the Republican Party. Earlier this week, Trump called him a "stone-cold loser" while defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against Massie's impeachment effort.
Massie has also challenged Trump over the Epstein files. On Wednesday, he announced that a discharge petition for the Epstein Files Transparency Act II had secured the 218 signatures needed to advance the measure toward a House vote. The effort drew support from Democrats and several other Republicans, including Fitzpatrick, Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman.
Pete Hegseth Impeachment Vote Adds to Pressure Over Iran War
Massie's renewed War Powers push also follows his unsuccessful attempt to advance eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth.
Three of the articles accused the defense secretary of violating the War Powers Resolution of 1973 through the administration's military operations against Iran.
Other allegations concerned civilian casualties, military operations in Venezuela and Yemen, strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels, and alleged retaliation against Democratic Senator Mark Kelly.
The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer the impeachment articles to the Judiciary Committee, blocking immediate consideration of the charges without holding a vote on whether Hegseth should be impeached. Eleven Democrats and seven Republicans did not vote.
Trump celebrated the result, declaring that Hegseth had been exonerated.
Hegseth also rejected the allegations, calling the impeachment effort a political "farce" and accusing Massie of undermining American military personnel.
"This is not patriotism. This is sabotage," Hegseth said during a Pentagon news conference.
Massie has maintained that his objections concern constitutional limits on presidential war powers rather than a personal disagreement with the defense secretary.
Unlike the impeachment effort, the proposed War Powers resolution would directly address whether U.S. forces should remain engaged in hostilities in Iran.
What Happens Next With the Iran War Powers Vote?
Massie has pledged to force a vote before his congressional term expires in January, although a specific date has not been announced.
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 establishes procedures intended to preserve Congress's constitutional role in decisions involving military conflict. However, the administration has not withdrawn U.S. forces following previous House votes seeking to curtail the war.
A concurrent resolution does not require the president's signature, but whether it can legally compel the withdrawal of U.S. forces is disputed. Binding legislation directing an end to the conflict could also face a presidential veto.
Trump and his administration have defended the Iran campaign as necessary to counter threats from Tehran, while Massie and other critics argue that sustained hostilities require congressional authorization.
Massie will leave Congress in January, when Gallrein succeeds him and Democrats take control of the House.
Before then, his proposed vote could establish whether opposition to Trump's Iran policy is spreading among House Republicans—or remains largely confined to lawmakers who have already broken with the president.
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
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