Rep. Thomas Massie is not going quietly, and his parting shot is aimed squarely at his own party.
The Kentucky Republican, who leaves office in January after losing his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, is mounting another attempt to force a House vote on ending President Donald Trump's war in Iran. He is pitching the effort to wavering colleagues as an escape hatch.
"I'm offering Republicans a life boat from MAGA," Massie told Fox News Digital in an interview. He went further, accusing fellow Republicans of remaining "still in the suicide pact with this administration," a jab tied to the GOP's losses in the November 3 midterm elections.
Massie then took the message to X. "I'll be forcing a vote to END THE WAR in Iran before my term is up," he wrote.
The measure, H. Con. Res. 126, would direct the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities in Iran and challenge the administration's authority to continue operations without congressional authorization. Massie told Fox that it could reach the House floor in the "next few legislative days" or around Christmas.
How many Republicans will actually climb aboard remains an open question. Rep. Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey told Fox that "one or two" additional Republicans could support the measure, while Rep. Tom Barrett of Michigan said he would hold his earlier position if the new resolution resembled the last one but doubted many more members would break ranks.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers of Alabama said he would oppose the resolution. He nonetheless confirmed the lobbying effort, telling Fox, "Massie has been having conversations with members."
In September, seven Republicans, including Barrett, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, joined Democrats to pass an Iran War Powers resolution 220-204. That vote did not compel the administration to bring U.S. forces home, a reminder of how little such measures have changed on the ground.
Massie is leaning on the midterm results to make his case. Vice President JD Vance acknowledged the war's political cost after the election, writing on X, "The reason we lost is the war."
At a November 9 news conference, Massie argued that voters were reacting to the war's effects on their wallets. "People are more opposed to the consequences of this war than they are this war," he said, pointing to higher gasoline and diesel prices, fertilizer costs and grocery bills.
He urged colleagues to use the vote as political cover. "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.
As reported by Newsweek, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted November 6-9 found that 51 percent of Republicans supported Congress passing legislation to end the Iran war. Democrats, unsurprisingly, are eager to exploit any GOP fracture.
"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 Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona told Fox. Asked whether Republicans would change course, Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts answered, "If they're listening to the people that sent them here, yes."
The libertarian-leaning Massie has clashed with the President for months over Iran, government spending and the Epstein files. In August, he warned the conflict could become the administration's "biggest and most costly blunder," adding, "We should walk away from this now."
President Trump, who backed former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein in his successful May primary challenge, has repeatedly portrayed Massie as disloyal to the party. Earlier this week, the President called him a "stone-cold loser" while defending Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth against Massie's impeachment push.
That push stalled on Tuesday, when the House voted 211-204 to refer Massie's eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth to the Judiciary Committee. Hegseth called the effort a political "farce" and accused Massie of undermining American service members, declaring, "This is not patriotism. This is sabotage."
Massie insists his objections are about constitutional limits on presidential war powers, not personal grievances. The administration, for its part, has defended the Iran campaign as necessary to counter threats from Tehran.
No date has been set for the vote, and whether a concurrent resolution can legally compel a withdrawal is disputed. Binding legislation could also face a presidential veto, and Massie's window closes in January, when Gallrein takes his seat and Democrats assume control of the House.
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