For the third time, the U.S. House has voted to end the war in Iran, passing a war powers resolution that would prevent President Donald Trump from continuing military operations without congressional authorization.
The measure passed 220-204 late Tuesday, narrowly improving on similar votes earlier this summer as several more Republicans joined every voting Democrat. None of the resolutions has reached the president’s desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto it.
“Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?” asked Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a former Marine who served in Iraq and helped advance the resolution.
Moulton said Congress should “actually ask tough questions, as the Constitution directs us to do, rather than be subservient to another warmongering administration.”
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, challenged Democrats to explain which U.S. military resources they would remove from a region where he said Iran continues to pose a threat.
Mast argued that Trump opposes “forever wars” and is bringing to a close what he described as decades of hostilities involving Iran.
“They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States,” Mast said. “Enough is enough.”
Last war powers vote before the midterms
Tuesday’s vote is likely to be the House’s final action on the Iran war before the midterm elections, in which the overseas conflict has become a major campaign issue. The war Trump launched Feb. 28 has continued for nearly seven months, marked by intermittent deadly missile exchanges and widespread regional disruption.
Lawmakers are scheduled to return home at the end of the week and campaign nearly full-time. Fewer than 50 days remain before elections that will determine control of Congress, as Democrats seek to take power from Republicans.
Voters are also dealing with elevated prices, especially at gas stations, as the conflict disrupts the movement of oil through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.
The Congressional Budget Office reported Tuesday that the war had cost more than $38 billion by Aug. 1. Expenses are expected to run between $2 billion and $3 billion a month, depending on the intensity of the fighting. The agency also projected that inflation will be 0.5 percentage points higher than previously expected heading into 2027 because of the war.
Trump pledged during his successful campaign for a second White House term not to involve the United States in foreign wars. His actions against Iran are now weighing on the Republican Party, which controls both chambers of Congress. An AP-NORC poll conducted in July found that most Americans believe the war in Iran has not been worth fighting.
Four Republicans supported the earlier House efforts to halt the war. Seven backed Tuesday’s war powers resolution, including battleground Iowa lawmakers Zachary Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, as well as retiring Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
They were joined by Republican Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. All Democrats voted in favor of the measure.
War powers being put to the test
Congress has repeatedly sought to change the course of the war with Iran, but attempts to restrict the Trump administration’s military action remain unlikely to succeed while the president can block or veto the measures.
The House first approved a war powers resolution in June, and followed up with another one in July, all seeking to halt U.S. action in Iran. The Senate on its 10th try also approved a war powers resolution to end the conflict, but GOP senators quickly reversed course the next day after Trump berated them during a closed-door lunch.
While the Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war, it also gives the president authority as the commander in chief to engage in some military actions. The War Powers Act, created in the aftermath of the Vietnam conflict, sought to put a more specific time limit on the president’s power, requiring congressional approval for sustained military actions after 60 or 90 days.
House Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged at a press conference Tuesday the need to bring gas prices down.
But the Republican speaker said he believes the Iran conflict is entering a “new phase” as allies step up to help stabilize the region. When that happens, he said, “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, and the speaker added, “I’d love it to happen today.”
Copyright © 2026 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
