The Senate today failed 49-44 to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a resolution to limit his ability to wage offensive military action against Iran. The vote came after Trump vetoed the resolution Wednesday. In the process, he blasted his fellow Republicans who sided with Democrats on the legislation.
“This was a very insulting resolution, introduced by Democrats as part of a strategy to win an election on Nov. 3 by dividing the Republican Party,” said Trump. “The few Republicans who voted for it played right into their hands.”
The Republican-held Senate first passed the resolution 55-45 in February as a rebuke of the US assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Iraq on Jan. 3, paving the way for a 227-186 vote in the House. Two Republicans joined Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Dick Durbin, D-Ill., as initial sponsors of the resolution: Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Paul and Lee joined five other Republican senators today in the unsuccessful attempt to override Trump’s veto: Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Young of Indiana.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.