Washington — The Senate rejected the latest attempt to rein in President Trump’s war powers in Iran on Thursday, soon after the House adopted a separate measure rebuking the president amid escalations in the conflict in recent days.
In a 47 to 49 vote, one Republican — Susan Collins of Maine — joined Democrats in voting to advance the measure. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the sole Democrat to oppose. Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky, who have previously supported similar war powers efforts, did not vote.
The resolution, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, would direct the president to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.”
Earlier Thursday, the House voted 214 to 208 to adopt another war powers resolution introduced by Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington. Four Republicans — Reps. Tom Barrett of Michigan, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Warren Davidson of Ohio and Thomas Massie of Kentucky — split from their party to vote in favor of that resolution.
Other efforts to rein in Mr. Trump on Iran have seen mixed results in the Senate in recent months. In May, four Republicans joined Democrats to move forward with a similar measure led by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. Then, in June, the same four Republicans joined Democrats to adopt a separate, House-passed resolution aimed at limiting the president’s powers. That measure was a concurrent resolution, meaning it didn’t require the president’s signature. But the symbolic rebuke of the president appeared to strike a chord. A day later, after a contentious meeting with the president and pressure from GOP leaders, key Republicans shifted their votes, and an effort to advance Kaine’s resolution further fell short.
Since the conflict began in February, Democrats have forced a series of votes to bring attention to the administration’s handling of the war and put pressure on their GOP colleagues. Thursday’s vote marked the first time the Senate has weighed in since the shaky ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran collapsed earlier this month.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Republicans to join Democrats ahead of the vote Thursday to “end this war, get our troops out of harm’s way, and force Trump to face the reality of this catastrophe.”
“Will our Republican colleagues join us?” the New York Democrat asked. “Or are they just going to keep their heads in the sand? They know how bad this is, they’re hearing it from one end of the country to the other. But they’re so afraid of speaking truth to power.”
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the president is required to report to Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces if Congress hasn’t declared war, and any unauthorized engagement is capped at 60 days, with an optional 30-day extension. But as the 60-day deadline approached earlier this year, the administration said it did not apply, arguing the clock stopped with the ceasefire reached on April 7. The president said in a letter to congressional leaders on May 1 that “hostilities” with Iran had “terminated.” Mr. Trump formally notified Congress earlier this month that “military action” against Iran restarted on July 7.
Since then, the conflict has escalated, with the U.S. launching a 12th consecutive night of strikes on Iranian military infrastructure Wednesday. And the death toll rose to 18 after three U.S. soldiers were killed in an Iranian attack in Jordan last week, while another service member died in Iraq during a controlled explosion to destroy an Iranian drone.
GOP Sen. Tim Sheehy of Montana, a former Navy SEAL, delivered an impassioned defense of the conflict with Iran on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. Before Mr. Trump, he said, “there’s never been a single president who has stood up to Iran and hit back.”
“For 47 years, our troops and our families have been absorbing attack after attack after attack,” Sheehy said. “It’s a global, radical ideology, and we’ve been fighting it for half a century. We didn’t start this war, we did not. But we will finish it.”
Sheehy urged his colleagues to “think about the people who are deployed right now, standing on that wall with a loaded weapon, who have volunteered to defend our country and our way of life.”
“They are there defending us in a just war, because we did not start a war with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, they started it with us 47 years ago, and their attacks have gone unanswered for half a century,” Sheehy said. “It’s time to fix this problem and make sure another generation of Americans does not have to fight this murderous, savage adversary.”
Schumer said Democrats will continue with their efforts to limit Mr. Trump’s war powers, vowing to “keep the pressure on our Republican colleagues.”
“That’s what we’re supposed to be doing here, because it’s Congress that has the power to bring war,” Schumer said. “And so it’s perfectly appropriate and right and part of our obligation as the opposition party to force our Republican colleagues to vote again and again and again until they see the light.”