Mast Helps Sink House Bid to Pull US Troops From Iran Conflict

The House of Representatives voted 213 to 214 on Thursday to reject a resolution that would have ordered President Trump to withdraw U.S. armed forces from hostilities with Iran. The one-vote margin exposed a sharp divide within the Florida Republican delegation and put Treasure Coast Rep. Brian Mast squarely in the majority that kept the war powers intact.

H. Con. Res. 40, introduced under Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, would have directed the president to remove U.S. forces from active hostilities with Iran. The measure failed at 12:06 p.m. on April 16, 2026, according to the official House roll call. Democrats voted almost unanimously in favor, 212 to one. Republicans voted nearly as unanimously against, 212 to one, with one member voting present and three not voting.

For Treasure Coast residents with family members in uniform, the vote carries direct weight. Mast, a combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient who represents Martin and St. Lucie counties as the congressman for Florida's 21st District, voted no. He sided with House leadership and the White House position that congressional intervention would undermine military operations. His vote aligned with the overwhelming majority of his party.

Florida's Republican delegation largely held the line. Reps. Vern Buchanan, Neal Dunn, Mario Diaz-Balart, Gus Bilirakis, and others all voted against the resolution. Rep. Massie (R-Ky.) cast the sole Republican vote in favor. Among Florida Democrats, Reps. Frederica Wilson, Kathy Castor, and Lois Frankel voted yes.

The resolution needed a simple majority to pass. It fell short by a single vote. Three members — Reps. Mace, Boebert and Kean — did not vote. Rep. Davidson voted present. Any one of those four could have changed the outcome.

The Senate has not scheduled a companion measure for consideration.

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.