Story Highlights
- The Senate adopted the resolution directing the president to remove military forces from the conflict with Iran; the four Republicans who joined Democrats were Sens. Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Bill Cassidy; Democratic Sen. John Fetterman was the lone member of his party to vote against it.
- Trump called the vote “poorly timed and meaningless” and said it “just made my job more difficult,” vowing to still get a deal done “one way or the other.”
- The resolution is largely symbolic and does not carry the full force of law, but it reflects growing concerns from Republican lawmakers in both chambers over both the war and the deal Trump struck with Iran to end it.
What Happened
The United States Senate voted in favor of invoking its war powers to force President Donald Trump to halt his military campaign against Iran or seek congressional authorization before any further action is taken. A similar measure had already been approved in the House of Representatives on June 3 by a vote of 215 to 208, and on Tuesday, the Senate passed it in a 50-48 vote. Trump’s Republican Party holds slim majorities in both chambers.
The Senate had voted on a war powers resolution nine other times during the Iran conflict, but none of those earlier votes reached the simple majority threshold necessary to pass until Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated that if a deal is struck, he would expect Congress to eventually have some form of vote on it.
Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania did not vote Tuesday. McConnell was hospitalized this month. Had they been present and voted against the resolution, as both had done in previous attempts, it would have failed on a 50-50 tie. The White House brushed off the vote, with an official noting it had no significance and saying the outcome was driven by Republican absences.
Before the vote on Tuesday, some Republican senators warned that the war powers resolution would weaken Trump’s standing in Switzerland negotiations. Sen. James Risch of Idaho warned that the Iranians would simply walk away from the negotiations if the resolution passed, arguing it would tell Iran that Congress had directed the president to leave the conflict alone.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement after the vote that Congress had stood up to Donald Trump and voted to end what he called his costly, unnecessary, and devastating war with Iran.
Why It Matters
The passage of concurrent war powers resolutions in both chambers of Congress marks a turning point in the politics of the Iran conflict. Even though the measure is not legally binding and will not be sent to the president for his signature, it represents a formal, bipartisan statement from the American legislative branch that the war lacks congressional authorization and, in the view of a majority of senators, should not continue.
Congress’s rebuke comes as many GOP lawmakers grow increasingly concerned over the administration’s handling of the war, which has had profound economic impacts and remains unpopular among Americans. Republicans hold a slim majority in both chambers of Congress but could lose power after the midterm elections in November. That electoral context is giving some Republican senators room to distance themselves from an unpopular conflict before voters go to the polls.
A poll released on Tuesday by Reuters and Ipsos found that only 24 percent of respondents felt the war had been worth the cost. That figure reflects deep public skepticism about the military campaign and will add further pressure on congressional Republicans who are already nervous about their thin majorities heading into competitive fall elections.
Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democrat from Virginia who led his party’s efforts on the resolution, said the pause in warfighting, as Trump’s team works to shore up a fragile ceasefire, provides the perfect time for Congress to step back and assess what the next chapter should be. He framed the resolution as an off-ramp for the president rather than a confrontation.
Economic and Global Context
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was on Capitol Hill this week seeking roughly $80 billion in supplemental funding to shore up defense supplies in the aftermath of the Iran war. The Pentagon early on had estimated the war cost $11.3 billion during its first week, and senators said experts put the overall price tag of Operation Epic Fury higher, at some $100 billion.
The Trump administration is seeking $1.5 trillion in defense funding this year — a nearly 50 percent increase — including $350 billion that it wants in a so-called budget reconciliation package. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the United States should not spend another dime of taxpayer dollars on what he called Operation Epic Failure.
The war’s economic consequences extend beyond the defense budget. Elevated energy prices tied to Strait of Hormuz disruptions have rippled through the American economy since February, contributing to elevated costs of living that Republican incumbents are already fielding questions about on the campaign trail. Every week the conflict remains unresolved translates into continued economic strain on households across the country.
Implications
The constitutional question at the center of this episode remains unresolved. Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who sponsored the House war powers resolution, said he will explore all legal avenues to ensure the executive complies with the will of Congress, arguing the measure is binding under the War Powers Resolution. The White House disputes this legal reading entirely, setting up a potential judicial battle.
For Republican senators up for re-election in competitive states, Tuesday’s vote creates a difficult dynamic. Those who voted for the resolution can point to a record of independence, while those who voted against it remain tied to an unpopular war as its costs continue to mount. The vote’s effect on the ongoing Iran negotiations is also uncertain. Trump insisted he would still achieve a deal regardless.
Republicans have particularly objected to a reported $300 billion fund to help Iran rebuild, which is far greater than the $1.7 billion then-President Barack Obama refunded the country under his administration’s 2015 Iran deal. That controversy over financial concessions to Iran will continue to shadow the administration’s diplomatic efforts in the weeks ahead and will define the terms of any final congressional debate over approving whatever deal emerges from the 60-day negotiating window.
Sources
“Senate votes to limit Trump’s Iran war powers in rare rebuke”
