The US Senate has passed a bill that would suspend President Donald Trump’s military operations against Iran and require Congressional approval before any further action is taken.
The chamber voted 50-48 on Tuesday to pass the resolution, which had been approved by the House earlier this month.
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Although Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, four conservatives voted across party lines to approve the resolution, and nearly all but one House Democrat voted in favor.
Tuesday’s vote marked the first time a war powers resolution passed both houses of Congress. But the effort is likely to be symbolic, as President Trump is expected to veto the bill.
Republicans who left on Tuesday included Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Two other Republicans, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, did not vote.
The only Democrat to side with Republicans on the issue was John Fetterman of Pennsylvania.
Top Democrat Chuck Schumer, speaking on the floor, noted that Tuesday’s vote marks the 10th time in the Senate the war powers resolution to rein in President Trump’s military operations against Iran.
“Trump promised for years to put maximum pressure on Iran, but he ended up creating maximum disruption, maximum disruption, maximum cost to the American people in a terrible war,” Schumer said.
“Time and time again, the majority of Senate Republicans have supported Trump and his war, not the American people. The American people paid the price for Trump’s historic fiasco in Iran, which will go down in the history books as one of the worst foreign policies America has ever undertaken.”
Concerns about war negotiations
On February 28, President Trump, along with Israel, launched an attack on Iran, sparking a regional war that continues into this month.
It was also the second time since President Trump returned to his second term in office that the US military has been involved in the war against Iran. In June 2025, President Trump sent bombers to attack three major sites linked to Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
President Trump said the war was necessary to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons, something it has long denied.
But critics characterized the February attack as an unprovoked act of aggression that threatens to further destabilize the Middle East.
The Trump administration and Iran continue to discuss the terms of a ceasefire set out in a June 17 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which is currently being negotiated in Switzerland.
However, it remains unclear whether the memorandum is valid. Israel, the US’ partner in the war against Iran, continues to carry out attacks in Lebanon, in violation of the terms of the agreement, which called for a cessation of fighting on all fronts.
Critics of Tuesday’s resolution cited ongoing negotiations as a reason to block passage of the bill.
The War Powers Resolution “directs the President to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
President Trump would be authorized to use further military force against Iran only if “expressly authorized by a declaration of war or specific Congressional authorization.”
However, the resolution authorizes a limited military presence in the Middle East to prevent an “imminent attack” against the United States or its allies.
Still, some Republican senators warned that the war powers resolution would weaken President Trump’s position in the Swiss negotiations.
“If this passes, the Iranians will just up up and walk out of the negotiations,” James Risch, R-Idaho, said on the Senate floor.
“They’ll say, ‘This is over.’ Congress told the president of the United States, ‘Leave us alone. We can do whatever we want.’ And they’ll walk away.”
Risch also argued that the resolution is essentially useless, given the near-certain prospect of a veto by President Trump. “It won’t have any effect. The president won’t pay any attention to it,” he said.
Increased pressure on President Trump
Still, the bill’s passage signals a growing consensus in Congress against the president’s use of military force.
The war against Iran is widely unpopular in the United States. A poll released Tuesday by Reuters and Ipsos found that only 24% of Americans believe the war was worth the sacrifices.
As a result of Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and the US response, prices for essential goods such as oil, natural gas and fertilizer have soared since the war began.
Republicans also face pressure from voters ahead of competitive midterm elections in November that will determine whether right-wing parties retain control of both chambers of Congress.
The U.S. Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to declare war, but this separation of powers has broken down over the past 75 years as presidents have sent U.S. troops to conflicts overseas.
President Trump has cited that precedent to argue that Congressional approval is not required at all.
Appearing on the Axios show last week, President Trump denied that he had learned any “lessons” about the limits of his executive power during the Iran war. “There are no limits,” he said.
Congress last passed a declaration of war during World War II, but in the decades since then it has passed Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which authorizes limited military involvement.
Some critics say that now that Republicans are defending their seats in the midterm elections, they may be increasingly willing to confront President Trump over the issue of congressional confirmation.
Some have lost to challengers backed by Trump and are entering their final months in office. Similarly, Sen. Cassidy of Louisiana has shown a willingness to stand up to President Trump’s policies since losing the primary on May 16th.
constitutional dilemma
On May 20, the Senate passed the first war powers resolution in response to the Iran conflict, but it failed to pass both chambers as it was introduced just before Congress adjourned.
Tuesday’s vote adopted a similar bill that had already passed in the House on June 3 by a vote of 215-208.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine has long advocated for such a bill to pass both chambers. He reflected on the importance of Congress seeking to regain constitutional powers beyond the power to declare war.
“The most solemn power Congress has is that Congress, not the president, has the power to declare war,” Kaine said.
He explained that the Founders understood that “the risks and consequences of war are so vast that decisions about war should never be left in the hands of a single person, but should instead be given to the legislature.”
He and Schumer pledged to continue pursuing war powers legislation until they are successful in curbing the president’s military actions.
“Trump won’t brief Congress. Trump won’t honor the deal. Trump won’t end the war,” Schumer said.
“But Democrats will continue to push for this vote, and we will continue to do so, because only Congress has the power to lead this country into war, and this war must end.”
