Senate spares Trump from Iran setback in war powers vote
The Senate failed to advance a bipartisan war powers resolution intended to block President Trump’s military actions against Iran without congressional approval, signaling limited cross-party leverage to curb the governance’s actions amid rising Middle East tensions. The vote was 47-53, with Rand Paul (R-KY) voting in favor and Sen. John fetterman (D-PA) as the lone Democrat aligned with most Republicans in opposition. The measure, led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), would have required only a simple majority to pass, but fell short. Republicans argued that halting ongoing strikes would jeopardize U.S. troops and national security, while proponents argued Congress should assert its War Powers authority.
Key points:
– The GOP-controlled Senate did not support the resolution to constrain Trump’s actions against Iran without congressional approval.
– The House plans its own Iran war powers vote, but is expected to fail as a presidential veto remains likely.
– The episode underscores Democrats’ limited ability to curb the administration’s foreign-policy moves, set against a broader pattern of U.S.actions in Venezuela, Cuba, and other parts of Latin America.
Trump avoids Iran setback with Senate war powers vote
The Senate failed Wednesday to advance a war powers resolution in a bipartisan bid to block President Donald Trump’s war against Iran without congressional approval, sparing the administration an embarrassing setback amid escalating Middle East tensions.
The Republican-controlled chamber voted 47-53, with only two senators crossing party lines to stake out their first official position on Trump carrying out sweeping strikes against a foreign nation without consent from Congress.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), the co-author of the resolution that forced a vote, sided with nearly all Democrats and voted in favor. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the lone Democrat to side with most Republicans in opposition. A simple majority was needed for the measure, which was also led by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).
Republicans who weighed support for the resolution or who have been critical of Trump’s strikes, which administration officials have justified to combat “imminent threats,” argued it would endanger U.S. military personnel in the region and national security for Congress to halt ongoing operations.
“In the immediate future, we need to make sure the American people are safe and secure,” Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) said. “And my reading of the situation is, setting aside how we got here, now that we’re at war, it would be very dangerous to the American people if we were to immediately cease action [and] withdraw troops amidst this destabilization.”
The GOP-controlled House will vote Thursday on its bipartisan version of an Iran war powers resolution, led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Ro Khanna (D-CA). The measure is expected to suffer the same fate as in the Senate.
Even if Congress could have mustered the support needed in both chambers for such a measure, lawmakers would have been unable to overcome a presidential veto. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) dinged Democrats for “wasting time on something that’s not going to go anywhere.”
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The failed endeavor leaves critics, mostly Democrats, grappling with their all but powerless positions to prevent Trump’s latest military campaign against a foreign adversary. The Iran war comes on the heels of Trump forcibly toppling former dictator Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, threatened action in Cuba, and new operations this week in Ecuador against suspected drug trafficking organizations.
Congress failed to pass a similar war powers resolution in January against Trump’s military actions in Venezuela.
David Sivak contributed to this report.
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