Soldiers at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on July 22, 2026, carry Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, who died July 18, 2026, from injuries suffered during an enemy attack on July 17, 2026, at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. (Photo by Jason Minto/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — One day after President Donald Trump attended the dignified transfer of the remains of four U.S. service members killed as a result of the Iran conflict, the two chambers of Congress were at odds over whether to rein in the president’s military powers in the monthslong war.
While members of the U.S. House approved a War Powers Resolution 214-208,
Trump reignited the conflict earlier this month, rupturing a ceasefire during 60-day negotiations between the U.S. and Iran to end the war. The countries have since been trading rocket fire on a near-daily basis.
The most recent deaths of U.S. soldiers in the conflict bring the total killed to 18. Three service members were killed July 17 and July 18 in an Iranian strike at a U.S. airbase in Jordan, and a fourth was killed during a controlled detonation of an Iranian drone July 19 at a U.S. base in Iraq.
The dignified transfer, in which the remains of soldiers are transferred from an aircraft arriving from the theater of operations back to the United States, occurred at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. The soldiers were identified by the Pentagon as:
- Army 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii
- Army Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas
- Army Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York
- Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina
Gas prices shoot back up
Economic fallout is also center stage again as Iran has choked off nearly all traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world’s petroleum traveled prior to the war.
Oil reached over $100 a barrel Thursday, and AAA clocked gas prices at $4.09 a gallon across the U.S.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who prefers the title secretary of War, told Senate appropriators Tuesday the war has so far cost $37.5 billion. The administration has requested an additional $67 billion.
Dissident Republicans
House Republicans who sided with Democrats to stop Trump’s military action in Iran included Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Tom Barrett of Michigan.
In the Senate, Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky, who both voted “yes” for some or all of the dozen Iran War Powers Resolutions considered so far during the conflict, did not vote.
A spokesperson for Murkowski said the senator returned to Alaska Wednesday for a family emergency. Paul’s office did not immediately respond regarding the reason for his absence.
Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican locked in a tough reelection race, supported the measure Thursday.
As he has on all previous votes to curb the president’s war powers in Iran, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., opposed the resolution, which some argue is not legal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in early May that the 1973 War Powers Resolution is “unconstitutional.”
Congress overruled President Richard Nixon’s veto of the measure meant to rein in his actions during the Vietnam War.
According to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell on Monday, 100 troops have been injured since July 7, and 96% have returned to work.
The department’s Defense Casualty Analysis System only identifies five injuries during Operation Epic Fury in July, and 420 total since the conflict began Feb. 28.
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