Senate defeats bipartisan resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Iran conflict
The Republican-controlled Senate voted 49-50 against a war-powers resolution that would have called for ending U.S. involvement in the Iran hostilities, despite support from a handful of GOP senators.
The Senate rejected a resolution urging the removal of U.S. forces from the ongoing conflict with Iran, with the measure falling 49 to 50. The vote was forced by Democratic leaders seeking to highlight the war’s domestic impact. Four Republican senators—Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul and Thom Tillis—joined Democrats in supporting the resolution, while Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman was the sole Democrat to oppose it. The resolution had previously passed the House in July by a narrow margin. Republican officials have expressed growing unease about the war. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) said Iowans should not bear the cost of the conflict at the pump or grocery store, and GOP Senate candidate Mike Rogers (Michigan) argued the war must end to lower costs for families. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Americans are facing higher fuel and food prices because the war was launched without congressional authorization. Senate Majority Leader John Thune described the Democrat-driven vote as “political” but acknowledged that many Republicans are ready for an end to the fighting. The resolutions are symbolic and not legally binding, but they represent a congressional rebuke of President Trump’s decision to engage in the conflict without a formal vote. At least 19 service members have been killed since the fighting began in February, according to the Department of Defense.