By Ingrid "Shortwave" Frost
For the third time since military action against Iran began, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to direct President Trump to end the conflict, passing a war powers resolution 220 to 204. Seven Republicans crossed the aisle to join Democrats — three more defectors than in either of the two previous votes, according to the Washington Examiner and The Hill.
The resolution, sponsored by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), invokes the War Powers Resolution to limit the president's authority to continue military engagement beyond the 60-day threshold set by that law. The Republicans who voted for it were Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Warren Davidson (Ohio), Tom Barrett (Mich.) and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, according to The Hill's partial list; the Washington Examiner confirms the total of seven GOP votes, up from four previously.
The measure is non-binding in practical effect unless it clears the Senate and survives a presidential veto, and Al Jazeera notes the House has now passed similar resolutions on three separate occasions without forcing an end to the campaign. Still, the growing number of Republican defections signals eroding patience within the president's own party over the war's duration and legal footing.
Separately, the same day, Rep. Thomas Massie forced a floor vote on whether to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to Al Jazeera — a sign of how far the Iran war has strained relations between the administration and its congressional allies.
What happens next is not yet reported. The Senate has not acted, and the White House's response — beyond the president's stated intent to continue the campaign — was not detailed in the available sourcing.
FILED FROM SOMEWHERE WITH BAD COFFEE —
— Compiled from reporting by Al Jazeera, the Washington Examiner, The Hill, and Fox News.
The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."