Here’s what Reps. Nunn and Miller-Meeks said about their war powers vote

Two Iowa Republicans, U.S. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, broke party lines to vote in favor of a resolution to curb President Donald Trump’s military powers in Iran.

Miller-Meeks, who represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, and Nunn in the 3rd District are expected to face tough reelection campaigns in 2026, with races rated as “toss ups” by political forecasters heading into the midterms. The two GOP incumbents were among seven Republicans who broke party ranks to vote in favor of the Iran War Powers Resolution, a measure sponsored by Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat.

The resolution, which passed 220-204 Tuesday, would require congressional approval for Trump to continue his war in Iran.

The most recent resolution was the third time since June that the House has voted to pass a measure to restrict Trump’s ability to continue the war with Iran, which began in late February. In previous votes, Nunn and Miller-Meeks voted against the war powers resolutions — but the two Iowa Republicans, alongside Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, joined four other Republicans and all Democrats in the Tuesday vote in favor of reining in the administration’s military actions.

Both Nunn and Miller-Meeks are military veterans, and both cited their military experience when explaining their decision to vote in favor of the resolution.

Nunn said “having deployed multiple times and flown over 700 combat hours in the Middle East, I will not support another open-ended war.” He argued the resolution would still preserve the president’s authority to defend from imminent attacks while providing more oversight.

“Iran must be held accountable for killing Americans, supporting terrorism, threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and pursuing nuclear weapons. Iowa has already paid a devastating price, including two service members killed by an Iranian drone in Kuwait,” Nunn said in a statement. “Congress owes them, their families, and every American in uniform clear objectives and constitutional oversight. With the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization. … We can defend Americans, pressure Iran, and pursue peace while ensuring Congress fulfills its constitutional responsibility.”

Miller-Meeks brought up her 24 years of service in the Army in a statement explaining her vote.

“I said it in March: the mission had to stay focused and limited, because Americans do not want another forever war,” Miller-Meeks said. “I will not vote to keep our soldiers in an open-ended war, with Iowans paying too much at the pump. The Iranian regime and its nuclear ambitions have been defanged. The President needs to present a plan to Congress and the American people for how this ends so we can focus on bringing our soldiers home and lowering prices.”

But Iowa Democrats criticized the two representatives for voting against previous measures introduced in the U.S. House to curb Trump’s power in the Iran conflict. State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, the Democratic nominee in the 3rd District, said Nunn voted five times in favor of continuing the war, citing both previous war resolutions votes as well as a Pentagon funding bill vote.

“I’ve always been against this war, while Zach Nunn has cheered this war on from day one and voted five times to keep it going,” Trone Garriott said in a statement. “Because of Zach Nunn’s votes, Iowans have paid more for gas, diesel, fertilizer and groceries. He called the cost worth it and told us to grow a stronger spine. If you want this war to continue, vote for Zach Nunn, if you want this war to end, I’m asking for your vote this election.”

Democrat Christina Bohannan, who is facing Miller-Meeks in the upcoming election, similarly criticized her opponent for previous votes.

“Rep. Miller–Meeks voted 5 times for the Iran War, continuing it for over six months, as gas, diesel, and fertilizer prices have skyrocketed for Iowans,” Bohannan said in a statement. “The fact that it took her until weeks before an election to realize how angry the people she represents are, shows just how out of touch she is in her Washington bubble.”

The two other members of Iowa’s all-GOP delegation in the U.S. House, Reps. Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra, voted against the most recent measure, as well as the previous Iran war resolutions.

Hinson, currently representing Iowa’s 2nd District, is running for U.S. Senate in 2026. In a statement, she said she supports ending the war, but called for the U.S. to pursue a “decisive and immediate victory.”

“Like all Americans I want this war to end — I believe President Trump should immediately bring this war to a successful end in a way that keeps Americans safe from the threat of a nuclear armed Iran,” Hinson said. “And I support the full court press economic sanctions to bring the Iranian terrorist regime to its knees. We owe it to our troops, their families, and every American being squeezed by high prices to deliver a decisive and immediate victory in this war.”

State Rep. Josh Turek, the Democrat running for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat, released a plan Wednesday to provide relief for rising fuel costs stemming from the Iran conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a major petroleum trade route. His proposals which include pausing diesel exports and temporarily suspending the federal gas tax.

In a statement, Turek positioned his plan in contrast to Hinson’s votes on the Iran conflict.

“Ashley Hinson is failing Iowans,” Turek said in a statement. “She should be in Washington doing whatever she can to lower the skyhigh fuel prices she caused by voting seven times to continue this war. Instead, she’s taking yet another extended vacation, leaving Iowans struggling to fill up their gas tanks and harvest their fields while her Big Oil donors continue to rake in record profits.”

The U.S. House was expected to recess after its Wednesday session until after the November elections.