Senate rejects further war powers resolution on Iran, altering earlier rebuke of President Trump

The Senate voted late Wednesday night to defeat a war powers resolution that would have further limited President Donald Trump’s authority over the Iran conflict, ending a series of attempts to curb executive war powers. The final tally was 47-50-1, with Republican Sens. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy shifting their positions – Paul voting present and Cassidy voting against advancing the measure – after initially supporting similar resolutions.

Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski again voted in favor of the resolution, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voted against it. The vote came a day after the Senate passed a separate resolution calling for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Iran theater.

President Trump posted on Truth Social that the vote “puts Iran on notice,” noting the changed votes of Paul and Cassidy. Earlier, during a Senate GOP lunch, Cassidy confronted the president, saying he had not been provided sufficient information about the conflict, which he said had lasted far longer than the originally projected four weeks. Cassidy later said he received a briefing from Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, thanking them for the “thorough briefing.”

Senator Paul wrote on X that his stance on war powers had not changed, but he voted present to give the president “more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace” after being asked to consider the president’s negotiating position.

The vote marks the eleventh Senate consideration of an Iran war powers measure this year. Democrats have argued that congressional oversight remains necessary even after a preliminary agreement with Iran, emphasizing the need to prevent a resurgence of hostilities without legislative input.