Senate Rejects Resolution to Curb Trump's Iran War Powers

The US Senate on Thursday rejected a Democratic-led resolution aimed at stopping the Iran war until Congress authorizes hostilities.

The vote was 50 to 49 against the measure, which had passed the House of Representatives in July. The vote largely followed party lines, with most Republicans rejecting the measure and almost every Democrat supporting it. Four Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, voted in favor of the resolution.

Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the lone Democrat to vote against it. The resolution invoked Section 5(c) of the 1973 War Powers Resolution. It directed President Donald Trump to remove US forces from hostilities with Iran unless Congress declared war or specifically authorized military force. The measure preserved the President's ability to maintain forces necessary to defend the US or an ally against an imminent attack.

The legal force of such congressional efforts has long been disputed, and previous resolutions have not changed the course of US military operations. Earlier in September, seven Republicans joined Democrats in the House of Representatives to back a similar resolution. On the same day as the Senate vote, the National Iranian American Council Action (NIAC Action) filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The lawsuit argues the administration usurped Congress's powers by launching an unconstitutional war against Iran, a conflict that has lasted nearly seven months. Some Republicans, including Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers and Ohio Senator Jon Husted, have called for the war to end, citing economic impacts like higher fuel and fertilizer prices. However, Senator Husted and Iowa Representative Ashley Hinson, who also called for an immediate end to the war, voted against the resolution.

A CNN/SSRS poll found 26% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the Iran war, including 60% of Republicans, while 53% of Republican or Republican-leaning voters younger than 45 disapproved.