The US Senate has rejected a bipartisan resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s capacity to conduct war in Iran, as the attacks continue.
The war powers bill was turned down with a vote of 53-47, mostly along party affiliations. It would have stopped U.S. military operations in Iran without approval from Congress.
Democrats contend that Trump has marginalized Congress and provided inconsistent justifications for the conflict.
The majority of Republicans opposed the resolution, yet a few mentioned they might reconsider if the conflict escalates in the next weeks.
On Saturday, Iran was targeted by strikes from the US and Israel. The Islamic republic has reacted by carrying out assaults on Israel and US-aligned nations in the Gulf.
With no evident exit strategy in view, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth indicated that the conflict might continue for eight weeks—nearly twice the length stated by Trump over the weekend.
On Wednesday’s vote, two senators switched allegiance. Pennsylvania’s Democratic Senator John Fetterman was against the measure, whereas Kentucky’s Republican Senator Rand Paul supported it.
Conversely, all other individuals voted according to party affiliation.
Senator Susan Collins, a centrist Republican from Maine, opposed the measure, later stating that enacting the legislation would have conveyed the incorrect message to Iran and American forces.
“At this juncture, providing unequivocal support to our service members is critically important, as is ongoing consultation by the administration with Congress,” she said.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said before voting in favor of the measure, “Do you stand with the American people who are exhausted with forever wars in the Middle East or stand with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth as they bumble us headfirst into another war?”
The bill will be put to a vote on Thursday in the House of Representatives, where it encounters a challenging path.
Although the president possesses extensive powers to initiate military operations without an official war declaration, Congress must be informed within 48 hours of the conflict starting.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has insisted that the Trump administration fulfilled that obligation.
Key congressional leaders were informed prior to the start of the initial strikes, and Trump communicated with Congress through a letter on Monday, despite asserting that it wasn’t required.
Trump has previously commanded military actions without congressional consent, such as the US attacks on Iranian nuclear sites last year and the capture of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in January.
“To begin with, no presidential administration has ever accepted the War Powers Act as constitutional—not Republican presidents, not Democratic presidents,” Rubio, a former senator, said.
In 1973, Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution to limit then-President Richard Nixon’s capacity to conduct war in Vietnam.
It mandates that lawmakers be informed by the president within 48 hours of military engagements and that Congress must approve an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) within 60 days of conflict commencing.
Since 2001, US governments have used the AUMF enacted following the September 11, 2001, attacks as a rationale for military actions in the Middle East.
Numerous efforts to overturn that authorization have proven unsuccessful.
