The House voted 223-188 in favour of a procedural motion related to the bill, paving the way for a full vote on the legislation, which directs the president to terminate the use of US armed forces for any military action against Iran.
The White House has indicated that Trump will veto the resolution.
The War Powers Act of 1973 was implemented at the end of the Vietnam War in an attempt to block future presidents from unilaterally taking the US into a major conflict, as US President Lyndon B. Johnson did in 1964. While the law recognises that the president has the power to deploy US forces into combat without a formal declaration of war, it requires them to give Congress at least 48 hours notice and establishes a 60-day time limit. Military operations beyond that scope require congressional authorisation.