The United States House of Representatives passed a concurrent resolution on Thursday, July 23, 2026, directing President Donald Trump to remove American forces from hostilities with Iran.
The nonbinding measure was approved by a 214-208 vote.
Shortly after the House action, the Senate rejected a binding joint resolution under the War Powers Act by a vote of 47 to 49.
The conflicting votes highlight growing divisions within Congress over the unauthorized military conflict, which restarted following a breakdown in peace negotiations earlier this month.
Casualties have surged since the fighting broke out in February, with the Pentagon reporting 18 U. S.
military deaths and nearly 500 injuries. Four of those fatalities occurred after July 17, following an attack on a military base in Jordan.
The conflict's escalation has also impacted global markets, driving Brent crude oil prices above $100 per barrel and raising national gas averages to $4.09 per gallon.
House Debate and Key Statements
Four Republicans joined House Democrats to pass the nonbinding measure, including Reps. Thomas Massie, Tom Barrett, Warren Davidson, and Brian Fitzpatrick.
Representative Pramila Jayapal, who led the House effort, criticized the administration's strategic direction during floor debates.
"From the beginning, this war has had no clear mission, no strategy, no end goal. Congress has not been consulted," Jayapal said.
"And hostilities have been driven over and over again by a president who won his election by promising to end forever wars."
Jayapal emphasized that the congressional action reflects broad public sentiment against the ongoing military engagements.
"This is a vote that requires us to find the strength to do what is right for the American people, and to send the clearest, even stronger message to this president of the United States that the United States Congress, the House of Representatives, is reasserting our authority over war," Jayapal said.
"This war must end."
She noted that even supporters of the president are expressing reservations about the prolonged hostilities in the Middle East.
"Not only are the vast majority of Americans opposed to this war; it's the most unpopular war that we've had in a very, very, very long time," Jayapal said.
"These are folks who deeply support Donald Trump, but they actually liked when he was talking about ending forever wars instead of getting into them."
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast defended the military operation on the House floor, presenting photographs of fallen service members.
"To belittle this mission is to belittle and demean the very service these members gave their life for," Mast said.
"This operation is bringing reckoning for the hundreds of times Iran has attacked and killed people of the United States of America."
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks stated that lawmakers plan to explore further legislative mechanisms to limit executive war powers.
"The vote today shows that Congress is starting to join the 70% of American people who are against this war, which is clearly a war of choice, and Congress has to step up to our constitutional responsibility and demand it," Meeks said.
Senate Rejects Binding Measure
In the upper chamber, Senator Susan Collins was the sole Republican to support the measure, while Senator John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against it.
Four Republicans did not cast votes. Senator Chris Van Hollen, who sponsored the Senate measure, called on Congress to assert its constitutional authority.
"There is no good way out of a bad war," Van Hollen said. "This is an opportunity for this Congress to finally take responsibility."
Republican leaders countered that withdrawing troops during active operations would undermine American foreign policy positioning.
"If we vote now and Republicans voted to cut and run and force the president in the middle of this to withdraw, it would be a huge blow to American credibility," Senator John Kennedy said.
He minimized the political effect of the war on upcoming elections, focusing instead on domestic economic matters.
"I don't think it's the main thing; I think this election will be about the cost of living," Kennedy said.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis noted that the 60-day window required under the 1973 War Powers Act should be calculated from recent July notifications rather than the initial February strikes.
"July 10, to my knowledge, is the first time I heard anyone in the administration refer to it as a war," Tillis said.
"The clock is ticking. We got to get serious about that.
I think politically, we can help the president with an unpopular war right now if we provide some legitimacy to it."
Representative Rob Bresnahan opposed the resolution, pointing to security risks associated with Iranian capabilities and international shipping routes.
"I think people see the prices of fuel and they immediately correlate one and the other.
But I think we're all in agreement that this needs to come to a resolution expeditiously. Under no circumstances should Iran have nuclear weapons," Bresnahan said.
"Iran is not a friend to the United States, but there needs to be a definitive solution there quickly."
Legal advocates noted that the administration recently approved a $1.15 trillion defense package in the House containing significant war funding, though it awaits a Senate vote.
David Janovsky, acting director of The Constitution Project at POGO, argued that the conflict exceeds statutory limits.
"Contrary to the administration's claims, the latest hostilities are not a new war.
We're now months past the constitutional deadline for the administration to end this unauthorised war," Janovsky said.
"If Congress is serious about bringing an end to this prolonged conflict, it must also refuse the administration's request to fund it."
Meeks announced plans to introduce additional litigation measures against the administration regarding the War Powers Act when the House reconvenes after its five-week summer recess.
