Tom Barrett

Tom Barrett, Republican congressman for Michigan's 7th district, was one of three Republicans who voted yes on the 14 May 2026 House War Powers Resolution on Iran, producing a 212-212 tie that failed. The three Republican crossovers — Barrett, Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) — were insufficient to carry the measure, extending the House's deadlock on congressional authorisation to a third tied vote on Iran war authority.

Barrett was first elected to Congress in November 2024 and represents a competitive Michigan district in the greater Lansing area. As a first-term member he sits on House committees covering agriculture and transportation. His vote on Iran war powers was notable precisely because first-term Republicans rarely break with leadership on high-profile national security matters, where the cost of being seen as undermining a sitting Republican president is particularly acute.

His crossover, alongside Fitzpatrick and Massie, signals that opposition to unchecked executive war authority is not confined to the libertarian wing of the party. The fact that a freshman Republican from a competitive Michigan seat was willing to take this position adds uncertainty to the calculus for Republican leadership as the conflict continues without formal congressional authorisation.