Meeks vows Iran votes as he seeks Foreign Affairs gavel

Rebecca Kheel, CQ-Roll Call on Nov 5, 2026

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Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., the presumed next chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, plans to bring resolutions to the floor to “immediately” end the war with Iran when Democrats take control of the House in January, he wrote in a letter Thursday seeking his colleagues’ support to become chairman.

The letter, which officially announced his bid for the chairmanship, lays out his oversight agenda for the committee, which will also see considerable turnover on the GOP side of the dais.

Meeks and other Democrats have repeatedly forced votes this year on war powers resolutions seeking to end the Iran war, with a Meeks-sponsored one clearing both chambers of Congress.

But those resolutions have been nonbinding concurrent resolutions, since the 1973 War Powers Resolution only lays out a fast-track procedure the minority party can wield for concurrent resolutions in the House.

With a House majority, though, Democrats could bring binding joint resolutions to the floor.

Beyond war powers votes, Meeks also promised public hearings on the war. He also vowed hearings on a range of topics including the administration’s Venezuela policy and “repeated defiance of Congress’s constitutional authority over war powers and trade.”

“As chairman in the 120th Congress, oversight of this administration’s lawlessness and corruption will be at the top of the agenda,” Meeks wrote. “I will continue to advance a principled foreign policy grounded in our values, including support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.”

In addition to Iran measures, Meeks also promised legislation focused on “clawing back Congress’s proper role in the making of American foreign policy” and a State Department reauthorization bill that puts guardrails on the administration and protects career diplomats.

Meanwhile, the GOP side of the committee is poised to lose at least a dozen lawmakers — or about half of its members — next year between retirements and election losses.

The departures include longtime members such as former Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who opted not to seek reelection, and Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., the Freedom Caucus chair who lost his reelection race.

Several other Republican committee members remained locked in races that were still too close to call as of Thursday afternoon, according to The Associated Press, potentially gutting the GOP committee bench further. They include GOP Rep. Young Kim of California, the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee chair who was trailing her in race against fellow California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert.

Rep. Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J., who chairs the Africa Subcommittee, lamented the turnover Thursday but predicted a lot of interest among remaining House Republicans to fill the void.

“There will be many who will want to be on it,” Smith told reporters. “We lost some really great people. Yesterday I can’t tell you how sad I was about friends who are now not coming back.”

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(Jacob Fulton contributed to this report.)