WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate has failed to pass a resolution calling for restraining President Donald Trump’s war against Iran.
The latest war powers resolution failed 47-52 in a procedural vote, another major setback for supporters of Trump seeking to curb his military pursuits overseas and underscoring the Republican Party’s support for the president’s campaign.
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Another resolution is scheduled to be voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday, but it also faces bleak prospects.
Throughout the day, senators debated the pros and cons of President Trump’s assertion of Congress’s authority to approve or suspend military action against Iran.
Supporters of the resolution argue that Mr. Trump exceeded his constitutional authority by launching a concerted fight against Israel. Under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, the president can only launch such attacks in self-defense in response to an imminent threat. Otherwise, the sole authority to declare war rests with Congress.
Speaking on the Senate floor, Sen. Tim Kaine claimed that “even under classified circumstances” the Trump administration “has failed to present any proof or proof that the United States is under threat of imminent attack from Iran.”
“You can’t stand up and say, ‘This doesn’t rise to the level of being considered a war, it’s a needle-prick,'” Cain said. “We can’t stand up and say, ‘This is it, no military will be engaged in hostilities against Iran.'”
Republicans rally behind Trump
Since launching its military offensive on February 28, the Trump administration has offered a merry-go-round of rationales as to why war is necessary now.
President Trump has indicated that Iran is seeking to rebuild its nuclear program, which he said was “killed” in last year’s attack. He also said Iran aims to develop long-range missiles to attack the United States.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Israel was planning an attack on Iran, which would likely lead to retaliation against U.S. assets in the region. President Trump later refuted this claim, saying it was Iran that was planning an imminent attack on Israel.
To support these claims, the Trump administration has also sought to position Iran’s entire military and nuclear energy program since the 1979 Islamic Revolution as an imminent threat to the United States.
Several Republicans spoke out against the resolution, arguing that the past 47 years of gunfire from Iran justified the president’s military action.
According to Sen. James Risch, the Constitution “clearly confers on the president not only rights but also actual duties, as does the president’s oath to protect the United States.”
Rishu also pointed to Iran’s efforts to rebuild its nuclear energy assets after last June’s U.S. attack as part of the Israeli-led 12-day war.
“The commander-in-chief ordered this attack because of increased production of long- and intermediate-range missiles and because (Iran) was resuming its nuclear program, which was destroyed during the 12-day war,” Risch said.
The United States and Iran were in the midst of negotiations to scale back Iran’s nuclear program in preparation for war this month, but Rishu dismissed the efforts as staged.
“All this time, they’ve been forcing us to sit at the table and have dragged on and dragged out negotiations with no direction whatsoever,” he told the Senate, calling on his fellow senators to reject Wednesday’s resolution.
The vote, which broke largely along partisan lines with one Republican and one Democrat breaking ranks, was the latest in a series of war powers resolutions to be rejected by Congress. Since the June 21 attacks, Congress has introduced several measures to prevent President Trump from taking military action in Iran and Venezuela, to no avail.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, the U.S. president must seek Congressional approval before ordering the U.S. military to take military action for more than 60 days.
Earlier Wednesday, Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth insisted that the U.S. operation was just beginning and that more U.S. assets were being sent to the region.
The length and scope of the conflict remains uncertain, but President Trump himself has predicted that the conflict could last “four to five weeks.” Still, Risch expressed optimism that the dispute would be resolved soon.
“This will end, and it will end quickly. This is not a forever war. In fact, it’s not even close to it,” Risch said. “This will be over soon.”
Why War Power Vote Still Matters
Even if Wednesday’s effort had passed, the Senate’s war powers resolution would have faced an uphill battle before becoming law.
Both chambers would have to pass the resolution before it could be sent to the president’s desk for final signature, but Trump could still veto the bill.
Only a two-thirds majority in both houses can override a presidential veto.
Still, supporters have long argued that such resolutions, even unlikely ones, force lawmakers to confront important questions about the limits of presidential power.
They also give voters a reason to petition their elected representatives and express their concerns about the war.
“Although the results were not passed, this moment highlighted a core truth: Congress must continually reassert its constitutional role of checking executive branch power and preventing endless wars,” said Hassan El Tayyab, legislative director for Middle East policy at the Washington-based nonprofit National Legislative Friends Committee.
“Our nation’s founders warned that unchecked authority leads to unchecked conflict. Senators and Representatives must continue to press for votes to curb U.S. military involvement in unauthorized wars.”
Cavan Harajian, senior policy adviser at the advocacy group Demand Progress, also noted that parliamentary votes can help inform voters where lawmakers stand on important issues.
As a result, it can have political ramifications at the voting booth, especially in election years.
“The American people will remember who voted to continue an illegal and unnecessary war,” Karadzian said.
“Every senator who voted against the War Powers Resolution also voted against the wishes of the American people and against the safety of the service members they are sworn to protect. The stakes are clear, and there is no time for political gamesmanship.”
