The U.S. House of Representatives has voted for a third time to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval.
The resolution passed 220-204 in a late Tuesday roll call, with all Democrats joined by seven Republicans. The latest vote marked a modest increase in Republican support compared with earlier efforts this summer, when four Republicans backed resolutions seeking to halt U.S. military action in Iran.
Republicans Zachary Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa and retiring Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina joined Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky in voting for the resolution.
None of the previous measures have reached the White House, and the latest resolution is also unlikely to reach the U.S President’s desk. Trump is expected to veto any measure that seeks to curb his authority to continue the military campaign.
Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a former Marine who served during the Iraq War, pushed the resolution forward and criticised the administration’s handling of the conflict. “Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?” Moulton said.
He argued that Congress should exercise its constitutional responsibility to scrutinise the administration’s military actions rather than simply support the President.
Republican Representative Brian Mast of Florida, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, defended Trump’s approach and questioned what military resources Democrats would seek to withdraw from the region while Iran remained a threat.
Mast said that Trump was opposed to “forever wars” and argued that the President was seeking to end what he described as decades of hostilities involving Iran. “They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States,” Mast said. “Enough is enough,” Mast added.
The latest vote is part of a continuing congressional effort to assert authority over the administration’s military campaign. The House approved a similar war powers resolution in June and followed it with another in July, both seeking to end U.S. military action in Iran.
The Senate has also attempted to limit the conflict, approving a war powers resolution on its 10th attempt. Republican Senators, however, reversed course the following day after Trump criticised them during a closed-door lunch.
Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the authority to declare war, while the President, as Commander in chief, has authority to conduct certain military operations. The War Powers Act, enacted after the Vietnam War, sought to establish limits on presidential military action by requiring congressional approval for sustained military actions after 60 or 90 days.
The continuing dispute has therefore become a broader debate over the constitutional balance between presidential war-making powers and congressional authority over military engagements.
The conflict has also carried significant financial and economic costs. The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that the war had cost more than $38 billion as of August 1 and was costing between $2 billion and $3 billion each month, depending on the intensity of the fighting.
The budget office projected that the conflict would push inflation 0.5 percentage points higher than previously expected heading into 2027.
The war has also disrupted energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, contributing to concerns over fuel prices as Americans face higher costs at the pump.
House Vote Likely Last Before Midterms
Tuesday’s vote is likely to be the final House vote on the Iran war before the midterm elections, adding significance to the latest congressional effort to constrain Trump’s military authority.
Lawmakers are expected to return home at the end of the week to campaign, with fewer than 50 days remaining before voters determine control of Congress.
The conflict has consequently become an issue in congressional campaigns, with lawmakers facing questions over the duration, cost and objectives of the U.S. military operation.
Trump launched the war on February 28, and nearly seven months later, the conflict has continued through periods of intense missile exchanges and pauses in fighting, contributing to wider instability across the region.
The economic consequences have also become part of the domestic debate, particularly as disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz affect global oil supplies and fuel prices in the United States.
The conflict presents a challenge for Republicans defending their congressional majorities, particularly given Trump’s previous promises to avoid involving the United States in foreign wars. A poll conducted in July found that most Americans surveyed believed the war in Iran had not been worth fighting.
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