WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has voted for a third time to end the war in Iran, approving a resolution that would prevent President Donald Trump from continuing military action without approval from Congress.
The measure passed 220-204 late Tuesday. All Democrats supported it, along with seven Republicans, three more than in similar votes earlier this summer. However, the resolution is unlikely to become law. Previous measures never reached the president’s desk, and Trump would almost certainly veto the latest one, reported by the Fronthier Post.
“Remember when Donald Trump said that this war would last just a few weeks?” said Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat and former Marine who helped push the resolution forward.
Moulton said Congress must fulfill its constitutional responsibility by asking difficult questions about the war instead of blindly supporting what he described as “another warmongering administration.”
Republican Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, defended Trump’s position. He questioned which US military resources Democrats wanted to withdraw from the region, arguing that Iran remained a serious threat.
Mast said Trump opposed “forever wars” and was trying to end the decades of conflict involving Iran.
“They are a continuous ongoing threat to the United States,” Mast said. “Enough is enough.”
Tuesday’s vote is likely to be the last House action on the Iran war before the midterm elections. The conflict has become a major issue in political campaigns as lawmakers prepare to return home and spend much of the next seven weeks seeking votes.
Trump launched the war on Feb. 28. Nearly seven months later, missile strikes between the United States and Iran continue on and off, causing destruction and uncertainty across the region.
The war is also affecting Americans at home. Fighting has disrupted the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global energy route, pushing up petrol prices and increasing pressure on household budgets.
The Congressional Budget Office said Tuesday that the war had cost more than $38 billion as of Aug. 1. It estimated that the conflict was costing between $2 billion and $3 billion each month, depending on the intensity of the fighting.
The agency also projected that inflation would be 0.5 percentage points higher than previously expected through 2027 because of the war.
Trump had promised during his campaign that he would not involve the United States in foreign wars. His military action against Iran, however, has created political difficulties for Republicans, who control both chambers of Congress.
An AP-NORC poll conducted in July found that most Americans believed the war was not worth fighting.
The seven Republicans who supported Tuesday’s resolution were Zachary Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Tom Barrett of Michigan, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas Massie of Kentucky. They joined every House Democrat in backing the measure.
Congress has repeatedly tried to limit the president’s military campaign, but those efforts face little chance of success while Trump retains the power to veto them.
The House passed similar resolutions in June and July. The Senate also approved a measure on its 10th attempt, but Republican senators withdrew their support the following day after Trump criticised them during a private lunch.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, while making the president commander in chief. The War Powers Act, passed after the Vietnam War, was designed to limit a president’s ability to conduct prolonged military operations without congressional approval.
House Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that gas prices needed to come down. But he argued that the war was entering a “new phase” as allies moved to help stabilise the region.
Johnson said Trump expected prices to fall after the election. “I’d love it to happen today,” he added.
