The House passed a measure to halt the war in Iran on Thursday, as Democrats mounted a last-minute bid to constrain the escalating conflict before lawmakers left Washington for a month-long recess.
The effort led by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) passed by a vote of 214-208. Four Republicans — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania), Thomas Massie (Kentucky), Warren Davidson (Ohio) and Tom Barrett (Michigan) — joined Democrats in supporting the measure.
A separate vote to limit Trump’s war powers is scheduled for later Thursday morning in the Senate.
The House vote marks the first test of Republican support for the conflict since President Donald Trump resumed strikes against Iran this month. U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, announced it had conducted its 12th consecutive day of airstrikes as Trump pledges to retaliate for the deaths of several American service members killed by Iranian attacks in the last week.
By returning to the war, Trump has forced some vulnerable Republicans into a tenuous political position ahead of the November midterm elections. Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz — spiking global food and energy markets — and the Houthis, its proxy force in Yemen, have threatened to halt Saudi Arabian oil transiting the Red Sea.
Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers the war will cost about $37.5 billion by the end of September. Congress is debating how to proceed with a $73 billion package to restock the Pentagon’s inventory of precision weapons and cover other costs incurred by the conflict.
The Trump administration’s return to military strikes in Iran has also divided some Democrats over how best to respond.
Last month, Congress approved a separate war powers resolution meant to halt the war. Trump has argued the measure lacks the power of law, infuriating Democrats who say the war is being conducted unlawfully without lawmakers’ consent.
Some in the party have questioned whether they should keep forcing Republicans into potentially unpopular votes or whether they should seek legal avenues to enforce the earlier measure.
Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colorado), a co-sponsor of Jayapal’s resolution, said Wednesday that Trump’s war in Iran “has been an unmitigated disaster. The costs are rising every day, yet the President is choosing to double down on his failures.”
The post House passes measure to restrain Trump on Iran appeared first on Washington Post.
