Washington: The Senate for the first time approved a war powers reso lution, seeking to block US military action against Iran, as lawmakers warily watch President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve a conflict that the administration launched on its own and now needs Congress to fund.
It was the 10th time the Senate had tried to stop the war, and the outcome, on a vote of 50-48 Tuesday, was a stunning turnaround from past efforts.
While the resolution is largely symbolic and does not carry the full force of law, it reflects the growing concerns from a number of Republican lawmakers in both the House and Senate over both the war and the deal Trump struck with Iran to end it.
The House approved the resolution earlier this month. Trump responded angrily Tuesday night on his Truth Social platform, calling the vote “poorly timed and meaningless” and saying it “provided aid and comfort” to Iran.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. One Democrat, Sen John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted against. Trump bashed the four Republicans as losers, saying, “These senators have made my job more difficult.”
Schumer said Americans have paid the price for “Trump’s historic blunder in Iran. It’ll go down in the history books as one of the worst foreign policy forays America has ever made.”
In the past, as many as four GOP senators have voted for the war powers resolutions, and they did so Tuesday – Re publicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky On this vote, the absence of two Republicans, includ ing Sen Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was admitted to the hospital recently for an undisclosed matter, left the GOP without a full ma jority to halt the effort. Sen Dave McCormick also missed the vote.
The vote comes as the Pentagon is seeking USD 80 billion from Congress, mostly for the Iran war, as it backs up munitions and stockpiles.
Trump himself is headed to the Capitol Wednesday to meet with GOP senators after Vice President JD Vance was overseas working to negotiate with Iran to end its nuclear ambitions, which had been among the stated rationales for the war.
The president is not pleased with the Republicans who have been critical of the deal he struck with Iran, according to one GOP senator granted anonymity to discuss the private dynamics.