For the third time this summer, the U.S. House approved a war powers resolution on Tuesday to halt President Donald Trump’s military action against Iran without congressional authorization. The 220-204 vote drew seven Republican supporters as the seven-month conflict continues to weigh on domestic inflation and energy prices ahead of the midterm elections.
House Republicans Break With Trump in 220-204 Vote
The U.S. House of Representatives voted 220-204 to approve a war powers resolution intended to halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military operations against Iran without explicit congressional approval. Introduced by Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., the measure secured the backing of all voting Democrats alongside a growing faction of Republican defectors. Opponents of the bill were 203 House Republicans and Rep. Kevin Kiley, I-Calif., who caucuses with the GOP.
While earlier efforts in June and July saw four Republican lawmakers cross party lines, Tuesday’s roll call drew seven GOP votes. Three lawmakers—Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, along with Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn of Iowa—voted in favor of the resolution for the first time. They joined returning Republican dissenters Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky.
I've been consistent on that since the war powers provision expired after 60 days of engagement,
Rep. Tom Barrett told Fox News Digital ahead of the vote, articulating a constitutional argument shared by his fellow defectors that war powers rest with the legislative branch.
Iowa congressman Zach Nunn, a Republican, explained his vote saying that with the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization.
I will not support another open-ended war,
Nunn said.
Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?
said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who served as a Marine during the Iraq War and pushed the resolution forward. He said it’s time for Congress to actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration.
Energy Markets and Regional Strains
August 28 marked six months since the war began, and the Trump administration has yet to launch new diplomatic breakthroughs. Meanwhile, tensions in the region remain high near six months after the start of the conflict. Tehran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime route for hydrocarbon trade, and the U.S. maintains its naval blockade against Iran.
Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian affirmed during a meeting with doctors that it was time to end the war with the United States, asserting that Tehran is in a position of strength against Washington. Pezeshkian defended the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding with the United States in June aimed at finding an exit from the conflict, rejecting criticisms that it signaled an Iranian capitulation and stating that they will not find the slightest clause in this agreement that indicates a capitulation.
White House Defense and Congressional Divisions
Republican Representative Brian Mast of Florida, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned which military resources Democrats would want to remove from the region where he said Iran remains a threat. Mast said Trump is against forever wars, and that is what he is ending
— the decades of hostilities from Iran.
They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States,
Mast said. Enough is enough.
Next Steps in the Senate and White House Veto Outlook
None of the resolutions has made it to the president’s desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure. It’s unclear whether the Senate plans to take up the measure in its last two scheduled weeks of session before the November elections. A war powers resolution that cleared the House in July has yet to see any movement in the Senate. Both chambers adopted another resolution in June, though the White House has argued against its validity.
