War has cost 18 service members’ lives; CBO puts Pentagon spending at $38 billion
The House on Tuesday passed its third war powers resolution directing President Donald Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress explicitly authorizes the action, with seven Republicans crossing party lines in a 220-204 vote.
The defections increased from four Republicans who supported each of the two previous House-passed war powers resolutions in June and July. The Trump administration has dismissed such resolutions as legally unenforceable, characterizing concurrent resolutions as instruments that “lack the force of law and should be deemed unconstitutional.”
The vote came amid growing public criticism of the war that Trump launched without congressional approval in late February and mounting political pressure as the conflict appears to have no end in sight.
The House has now passed three war powers resolutions concerning the war with Iran. The first, in June, was also passed by the Senate, but the Trump administration rejected it on the same constitutional grounds. Senate Democrats on Tuesday announced the chamber has agreed to vote on the second House-passed resolution no later than Oct. 2.
The latest resolution was sponsored by Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., and cosponsored by 14 Democrats to “reclaim Congress’ ability to end Donald Trump’s war with Iran,” Moulton’s office said in a statement.
“Tonight, Congress did its job under the Constitution and said enough is enough,” Moulton said.
“People at home are hurting because of skyrocketing costs, and our troops’ lives are in danger in a war that never should have happened. We will keep the pressure up until Trump folds.”
Rep. Gregory Meeks, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement following the vote that the Constitution does not authorize the war.
“The American people have made it clear that they do not support this war, and the Constitution does not grant Trump the authority to wage it without the consent of the people and their representatives,” Meeks said.
The six-month war has cost the lives of at least 18 American service members, with hundreds more injured in the conflict. The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday said the war has cost the Pentagon $38 billion and would cost an estimated $2 billion to $3 billion a month going forward, depending on the severity of the fighting.
Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, one of the most vocal Republicans against the war, voted in favor of all three House-passed war powers resolutions. On Tuesday, Massie also introduced legislation to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of breaking the law by waging war with Iran for more than 90 days without congressional approval.
“If we are to remain true to our oath to ‘support and defend the Constitution of the United States,’ Congress must not turn a blind eye to Secretary Hegseth’s unconstitutional and illegal actions,” Massie said in a statement.
The resolution directs Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless explicitly authorized by Congress.