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4w ago

Senate Narrowly Blocks Bid to Curb Trump’s Iran War Powers

A rare trio of Republican defections signals rising unease over the war.

A visitor walks past the White House and a new flag pole installed on the North Lawn in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
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Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the ranking member, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, prepare to hear from U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on his 2027 budget request, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, April 30, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
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Overview

  • The Senate rejected Sen. Jeff Merkley’s Iran War Powers resolution in a 50–49 vote on Wednesday, the closest margin yet.
  • Republicans Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Rand Paul voted to advance the measure, while Democrat John Fetterman opposed it, leaving it one vote short.
  • The vote was the first since the War Powers Resolution’s 60‑day deadline passed on May 1, which Democrats say requires Congress to authorize the conflict or the president to withdraw forces.
  • The administration argues the April 7 ceasefire paused the legal clock and says the president retains Article II authority, with Trump declaring on May 1 that hostilities had “terminated” and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth affirming the stance in testimony.
  • Democrats plan weekly votes to raise pressure, yet even a successful Senate measure would face obstacles in the Republican‑led House and a likely veto, as roughly 50,000 U.S. troops and a naval blockade in the region keep the legal fight tied to on‑the‑ground operations.