House Passes Third War Powers Resolution on Iran as Conflict Nears Seven Months

The U.S. House has approved a war powers resolution aimed at halting military action against Iran, marking the third time this summer that lawmakers have voted to curtail the conflict. The roll call late Tuesday finished 220-204, with a handful of additional Republicans joining most Democrats in support.

None of the earlier resolutions have reached the president's desk, and the latest measure faces the same likely fate: a veto that Congress appears unable to override. The House passed similar resolutions in June and July. The Senate also approved a war powers measure on its tenth attempt, only for Republican senators to reverse course the following day after President Donald Trump criticized them during a closed-door lunch.

Representative Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and Iraq war veteran who pushed the resolution forward, said it was time for Congress to "actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration." He pointed to the president's earlier suggestion that the war would last only weeks.

Republican Representative Brian Mast of Florida, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, questioned which military resources Democrats wanted withdrawn from a region where he said Iran remains a threat. He said the president opposes "forever wars, and that is what he is ending," describing Iran as "a continuous ongoing threat to the United States."

The vote is expected to be the House's last on the Iran war before the midterm elections, with lawmakers returning home at the end of the week and less than 50 days remaining before balloting that will decide control of Congress. The conflict, launched on Feb. 28, has stretched nearly seven months, with on-again, off-again deadly missile strikes causing regional upheaval.

Voters are contending with high prices, particularly at gas pumps, as the fighting disrupts oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday the war has cost more than $38 billion as of Aug. 1 and is projected to run between $2 billion and $3 billion monthly, depending on the intensity of the fighting. It also projected inflation will be 0.5 percentage points higher than expected heading into 2027 because of the war.

Most Americans say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, according to a July poll. Trump had promised during his successful second-term campaign not to involve the U.S. in foreign wars, and the conflict is weighing on the Republican Party, which controls both chambers.

House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged at a press conference Tuesday the need to bring gas prices down. He said he believes the conflict is entering a "new phase" as allies step up to help stabilize the region, predicting that once that happens, "you're going to see, as the president said, anytime gas prices will go down again, the cost of groceries will as well." Johnson said Trump expects the shift after the election, adding, "I'd love it to happen today."

Under the Constitution, Congress holds the power to declare war, while the president serves as commander in chief and may take some military actions. The War Powers Act, enacted after the Vietnam conflict, sought to impose clearer time limits, requiring congressional approval for sustained military operations after 60 to 90 days.