WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Thursday narrowly passed a resolution to halt U.S. military action in Iran, sending President Donald Trump a warning for the second time as the conflict has escalated and its future has become increasingly uncertain. The 214-208 vote would require congressional approval for the war. The Senate was expected to consider a similar resolution later Thursday morning.
The measures, forced by Democrats, are largely symbolic but are intended to signal that Trump’s support on Capitol Hill is weakening as the war continues. Lawmakers in both parties have questioned the administration’s endgame. Washington Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat who led the House resolution, said the war had “no clear mission, no strategy, no end goal.” A handful of Republicans voted with Democrats, while most Republicans supported the war and voted to cede congressional war powers to Trump.
Debate over the mission and costs
Trump has insisted that continued U.S. attacks against Iran do not represent a return to war or long-term action. After the first House vote to halt the war in early June, he called it “unpatriotic” and “meaningless” in a social media post. Continued American airstrikes have taken place as diplomatic efforts have shown little public sign of progress. Officials on both sides have also remained divided over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely closed.
The conflict has contributed to rising fuel prices and threatens further worldwide economic disruption ahead of the U.S. midterm elections this fall. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators at a hearing Tuesday that the United States had spent $37.5 billion on the war so far. On Wednesday, Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base for the arrival and dignified transfer of the remains of four U.S. service members. During the House debate, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, a Florida Republican, read the names of 18 service members killed since the war began.
Mast said, “To belittle this mission is to belittle and demean the very service these members gave their life for.” The top Democrat on the committee, New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, said presidents are supposed to make the case to Congress and described the conflict as “an illegal unauthorized war that the American people don’t want.” Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat leading the Senate effort, said hearings, the deaths of Americans and rising costs made accountability important, calling it “a very unpopular war.”
Republicans weigh political risks
Republicans on both sides of the Capitol have faced political risks in opposing the war, even as some have privately questioned the administration’s handling of the conflict. After the June House vote, Trump called the four Republicans who supported it “GRANDSTANDERS!” and said they should be “ashamed of themselves.” When the Senate passed an Iran war powers resolution for the first time in June, Trump called supporting Republicans “losers” at a GOP Senate luncheon the next day.
Recent polling cited in the report found that most Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the situation with Iran, and few believe the war has been worth fighting. About two-thirds of Republicans approved of his handling of the situation. Most Republicans surveyed said the war had been worth fighting and expressed confidence that military action and negotiations would prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, while about one-third were unconvinced.