Senate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.S. exit strategy.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump ’s war against Iran , demonstrating early support for a conflict that has rapidly spread across the Middle East with no clear U.
S. exit strategy., failed on a 47-53 vote tally. It gave lawmakers an opportunity to demand congressional approval before any further attacks are carried out. The vote forced them to take a stand on a war shaping the fate of U.S. military members, countless other lives and the future of the region. Underscoring the gravity of the moment, Democratic senators filled the Senate chamber and sat at their desks as the voting got underway. Typically, senators step into the chamber to cast their vote, then leave. “Today every senator — every single one — will pick a side," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote. “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?” Sen. John Barrasso, second in Senate Republican leadership, said during the debate that GOP senators would send a message that Democrats are wrong for forcing a vote on the war powers resolution. “Democrats would rather obstruct Donald Trump than obliterate Iran’s national nuclear program,” he added.After launching a surprise attack against Iran on Saturday, Trump has scrambled to win support for a conflict that Americans of all political persuasions were. Trump administration officials have been a frequent presence on Capitol Hill this week as they try to reassure lawmakers that they have the situation under control. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the war could extend eight weeks, a longer time frame than has previously been floated by the Trump administration. He also acknowledged that Iran is still able to carry out missile attacks even as the U.S. tries to control the country’s airspace. U.S. service members “remain in harm’s way, and we must be clear-eyed that the risk is still high,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the same press conference.Sunday was from Iowa and a National Guard unit from her state was also attacked in Syria in December, resulting in the deaths of two other soldiers. “But now is our opportunity to bring an end to the decades of chaos,” said Ernst, who herself served as an officer in the Iowa National Guard for two decades.within a few weeks, but his goals for the war have shifted from regime change to stopping Iran from developing nuclear capabilities to crippling its navy and missile programs.“Nobody gets to hide and give the president an easy pass or an end-run around the Constitution,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat leading the war powers resolution. “Everybody’s got to declare whether they’re for this war or against it.” Republican leaders have successfully, though narrowly, defeated a series of war powers resolutions pertaining to several other conflicts that Trump has entered or threatened to enter. This one, however, was different. Unlike Trump’s military campaigns against alleged drug boats or even Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, the attack on Iran represents an open-ended conflict that is already“War is ugly, it always has been ugly, but we’re taking out a regime that has been trying to attack us for quite some time,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican. Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who has long pushed Trump to engage overseas, argued that the widening conflict represented an opportunity for Arab and European countries to join in the fight against Iran and the militant groups it supports. “I don’t mind people being on record as to whether or not they think this is a good idea,” he told reporters, but also argued that too much power over the military was ceded to Congress in the War Powers Act, which mandates that presidents must withdraw troops from a conflict within 90 days if there is no congressional authorization.On the other side of the Capitol, an intense debate over the war unfolded before a vote Thursday. The House first debated a resolution presented by GOP leadership affirming that Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. Rep. Brian Mast, the GOP chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, publicly thanked Trump for taking action against Iran, saying the president is using his own constitutional authority to defend the U.S. against the “imminent threat” of Iran. Mast, an Army veteran who worked as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, said the Democratic resolution was effectively asking “that the president do nothing.” Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs panel, said before the debate that the hardest votes he has taken in Congress have been to decide whether to send U.S. troops to war. “Our young men and women’s lives are on the line,” he said, his voice showing emotion as he emerged from a closed-door briefing late Tuesday with Trump officials. At a news conference Wednesday, several Democratic members who are also veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars spoke about the heavy costs of those conflicts. One of them was Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. “I learned when I was fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, that when elites in Washington bang the war drums, pound their chest, talk about the costs of war and act tough, they’re not talking about them doing it, they’re not talking about their kids,” Crow said. “They’re talking about working class kids like us.”Chick-fil-A makes changes to its fries againGeorgia school shooting suspect’s father convicted of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughterSon chokes father to death in response to father attacking mother with hot coffee, authorities say
Congress War Vote Iran Iran War Middle East War Us United States Trump Donald Trump President Trump
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Donald Trump’s Iran War Splits Republicans: New PollA new poll revealed whether Republicans are in support of the Trump administration's recent strikes against Iran.
Read more »
Democrats and Republicans Clash Over Limiting Trump's Military Power in IranAmidst escalating tensions following U.S. and Israeli attacks, Democrats and a few Republicans are pushing to limit President Trump's military authority in Iran. The efforts face significant hurdles, with previous similar attempts failing to gain traction. The resolutions seek to curb the president's ability to act without congressional approval.
Read more »
Senate Republicans vote down war powers resolution amid Iran conflictwe're doing very well on the war front.To put it mildly, I would say. Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it?I said about a 15.And we're goi
Read more »
Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran war in Congress' first vote on the conflictSenate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump’s war against Iran, demonstrating early support for a conflict that has…
Read more »
Senate Republicans block Iran war powers resolution in early sign of support for Trump's missionToday's Video Headlines: 03/04/26
Read more »
Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran warSenate Republicans voted against halting the Iran war, showing support for ongoing military actions under President Trump.
Read more »