The US Senate on Thursday rejected a war powers resolution that would have directed President Donald Trump to withdraw American forces from hostilities with Iran absent explicit congressional authorization, voting 49-50 in a sharp rebuke to lawmakers seeking to constrain the presidents military authority.
Three Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul of Kentucky, crossed party lines to support the measure, while Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with Republicans to sink it. The final tally left supporters one vote short of the threshold needed to advance.
The resolution, introduced by Democrats, marked the second time in two weeks that the Senate considered legislation aimed at forcing an end to the conflict with Iran, which has now stretched more than five months. The vote came just one day after the US military launched a fresh wave of retaliatory airstrikes in Iran following an Iranian missile attack targeting an American base in Jordan.
The conflict, which Trump co-launched with Israel on February 28 with the stated goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, has far exceeded the four-to-five-week timeline the president initially described. At least 18 US service members have been killed and more than 450 wounded, according to Pentagon figures that Democratic lawmakers have questioned over a lack of transparency.
Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, was absent as he continues recovering from a fall in June and has not received medical clearance to return. His absence underscored the razor-thin margins on what has become one of the most contentious foreign policy votes of Trumps second term.
Iran responded to the initial strikes by attacking US bases and allied targets across the Gulf region and disrupting oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, triggering a global energy shock. A ceasefire brokered in June collapsed within weeks, and fighting resumed before a renewed pause was declared.
Democrats framed the vote as a constitutional imperative, arguing that the Founders intended Congress, not the president alone, to decide when the nation goes to war. Republicans who opposed the measure contended it would undermine the commander-in-chiefs authority during an active military engagement and send a signal of weakness to adversaries.
The Senate vote highlighted the growing bipartisan unease over the prolonged conflict, even as both parties remain divided on how to address it. The war powers resolution was largely symbolic, as it would not have immediately halted military operations, but supporters argued it sent an important signal about congressional oversight of the use of force.
Sources: The Guardian, Roll Call, TIME
Author: USA Desk
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