Senate advances resolution to limit Trump's Iran war powers
The measure marks a symbolic win for Democrats and a growing number of Republicans who have questioned the Trump administration's war with Iran.
WASHINGTON — The US Senate on Tuesday advanced a resolution led by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia that would limit President Donald Trump’s war powers in Iran, after seven failed attempts to move such a measure forward.
The 50-47 vote to discharge the measure fell largely along party lines, although four Republican senators — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — voted with Democrats. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote against it, and three Republican senators did not vote.
The advancement of the War Powers Resolution marked a breakthrough for Democrats who have accused Trump's administration of flaunting congressional oversight on the war, which was not declared by Congress. Administration officials have argued that the current ceasefire has paused the 60-day clock under the War Powers Resolution, after which the executive branch must seek congressional authorization, a claim legal experts and lawmakers have disputed.
The resolution would direct Trump to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”
Sen. Kaine last week accused the administration of refusing to allow lawmakers on the Senate's Armed Services Committee to see the Presidential Office of Legal Counsel's official legal rationale for the war.
Tuesday’s vote represents only an initial procedural step in the Senate. The measure must still pass a full floor vote before moving to the House of Representatives. If it clears both chambers, Trump would still be able to veto it. During his first term in 2019, Trump vetoed a similar resolution that would have curtailed US military involvement in Yemen.
The vote followed seven prior Senate attempts by Democrats since March to advance the resolution. Cassidy’s support marked his first vote in favor of the measure, coming just one day after he lost a primary challenge to a Trump-backed opponent in his home state of Louisiana.
