The US Senate has advanced a resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump’s authority to continue military operations against Iran without congressional approval or a debate on the rationale, cost, strategy, and clear end goal.
The chamber voted 50-47 on Tuesday to take up the war powers resolution, which would require Trump to end the hostilities against Iran, marking the first time either chamber has moved this measure forward since the conflict began in February.
Four Republicans – Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska – joined almost all Senate Democrats in supporting the eighth attempt to advance the measure. Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the only Democrat to vote against it, while three Republicans did not vote. Cassidy, who previously opposed the measure, switched sides after losing a primary race in which Trump endorsed his opponent.
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The measure is highly unlikely to pass, as it still faces a final Senate vote, major obstacles in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, and an almost certain veto by Trump if it reaches his desk.
Even so, Democrats say the vote is politically significant, arguing that it forces Republicans to go on record over an increasingly unpopular and costly conflict. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged lawmakers to back the resolution, accusing Trump of acting “like a toddler playing with a loaded gun.”
The push comes after the 60-day deadline set by the 1973 War Powers Resolution expired on May 1. The law requires the president to obtain congressional authorization within 60 days of introducing US forces into a conflict or end their involvement, with a possible additional 30 days for withdrawal.
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Trump argued in a letter to Congress earlier this month that what he described as a “little excursion” against Iran has effectively ended, citing the fragile ceasefire in place since early April.
Critics have rejected this argument, pointing to the continued US naval blockade of Iranian ports and the fact that US forces remain positioned for possible renewed strikes. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has also told lawmakers that the administration believes the ceasefire pauses or stops the 60-day clock, an interpretation that Democrats and some Republicans have questioned.
