House votes to limit Trump's power to strike Iran for 3rd time

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to limit President Trump's authority to take further military actions against Iran for the third time. The vote resulted in a 220 to 204 tally, symbolically rebuking the president over the ongoing war in Iran. This resolution garnered more Republican support than the previous two attempts to curb the president's war powers in June and July.

Three new Republicans joined the previous four in voting in favor of the resolution: Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn of Iowa. It remains uncertain whether the Senate will address this measure in the final two weeks of their session before the November elections. A war powers resolution passed by the House in July has yet to gain traction in the Senate.

Another resolution, introduced by Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, directed the president to withdraw U.S. troops from hostilities with Iran. Six months into the conflict, the Trump administration has yet to outline an exit strategy, having requested tens of billions in additional funding for the war, which the president initially anticipated would last four to five weeks.

The Pentagon claims Operation Epic Fury, the military's term for the initial strikes against Iran, concluded in May, but the U.S. and Iran have continued to engage in hostilities, and a ceasefire agreement collapsed in July. Oil shipments from the region remain limited, contributing to high global energy prices. President Trump has defended his strategy, claiming the war has weakened Iran and predicting that the conflict would end shortly after the election.

Republicans are seeking to allocate up to $73 billion in new funding for the war through the party-line reconciliation process. The House passed a budget blueprint in July to initiate this process, but it faced opposition in the Senate, primarily due to the inclusion of funding for the SAVE America Act. According to a nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office analysis, the war with Iran could cost between $2 billion and $3 billion per month if it persists.

Between February 28 and August 1, the war is projected to have directly cost the U.S. approximately $38 billion. Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, stated during floor debates that there is no evidence that seven months of war have led to a sustainable strategic resolution to the threats posed by Iran.