In a Friday evening vote, the U.S. Senate rejected a war powers resolution that would have blocked President Donald Trump from making further attacks on Iran, despite widespread disapproval of last week’s strikes.
Senators voted 47-53, largely along party lines, on a measure offered by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that would have prohibited Trump from offensive measures while preserving his ability to defend U.S. forces.
Kaine’s resolution drew near-unanimous support from Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“I am hoping that the members of this body will stand up for the constitution.”
In a floor speech Friday night, Kaine underscored the continuing need for the measure despite a fragile ceasefire, noting that Trump said as recently as Friday that he would be willing to bomb Iran again.
“I am hoping — I am realistic — but I am hoping that the members of this body will stand up for the constitution, will stand up for the proposition that war is too big to be decided by one person,” Kaine said before his measure failed.
A single Republican, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who often opposes foreign interventions, supported Kaine’s measure. Aside from Paul, the resolution drew pushback from Senate Republicans. Critics said it would prevent the U.S. from defending Israel, despite an amendment from Kaine specifically designed to address that concern.
“President Trump seized the moment — responsibly, constitutionally, and decisively,” said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyoming, the majority whip, on the Senate floor. “America and our allies are safer today because of it. The resolution from Senator Kaine is not needed — and I oppose it. If passed, it would prevent the president from protecting us in the future.”
The strikes revealed divisions within the Democratic caucus. Progressives largely opposed the strikes outright, while some pro-Israel Democrats offered qualified or full support. One of the most full-throated boosters was Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., who voted against Kaine’s resolution.
Fetterman has emerged as a leading proponent of the use of military force against Iran.
“Blow it up! Blow it up! I think we should waste what’s left of their nuclear facilities,” he said in March. His aggressive stance has alienated former donors, who have requested refunds, and staffers, who have resigned at a steady pace.
“Anti-war Party”?
The war powers resolution was always considered a longshot, since it would have required the support of a veto-proof majority of both chambers of Congress.
A similar attempt in 2019 to end the Trump administration’s involvement in Saudi Arabia’s war on Yemen faltered when Trump vetoed it, and Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, pulled a similar resolution from consideration in 2022 amid pushback from Joe Biden’s administration.
Kaine’s measure, however, did put senators on the record about how they feel about Trump’s unpopular strikes. Americans disapproved of the strikes 56 percent to 44 percent, according to a snap CNN poll conducted immediately after the attack. The results mirror other surveys.
Many Democrats sought to criticize Trump without directly addressing the strikes by voicing concern over the administration’s failure to obtain congressional approval before the attack, or to adequately brief Congress after it.
“The Democratic Party needs to clearly stand up against this war.”
In the House, progressives and ranking committee leaders have offered two alternative war powers resolutions. Advocates say the version offered by Democratic leaders would do little to prevent Trump from launching future strikes if he justifies them as defending Israel.
At a press conference Wednesday, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said the party should back the tougher resolution, which he cosponsored with Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
“The Democratic Party,” Khanna said, “needs to clearly stand up against this war and take the mantle again of being the anti-war party, the party that stands up against wars of choice, against these endless wars in the Middle East.”
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