Senate Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran war in Congress’ first vote on the conflict

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted down an effort Wednesday to halt President Donald Trump’s warfare against Iran, demonstrating aboriginal enactment for a struggle that has rapidly dispersed crossed the Middle East with nary wide U.S. exit strategy.

The legislation, known arsenic a warfare powers resolution, failed connected a 47-53 ballot tally. The ballot fell mostly on enactment lines, though Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted successful favour and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against.

The warfare powers solution gave lawmakers an accidental to request legislature support earlier immoderate further attacks are carried out. The ballot forced them to instrumentality a basal connected a warfare shaping the destiny of U.S. subject members, countless different lives and the aboriginal of the region.

Underscoring the gravity of the moment, Democratic senators filled the Senate enclosure and sat astatine their desks arsenic the voting got underway. Typically, senators measurement into the enclosure to formed their vote, past leave.

“Today each legislator — each azygous 1 — volition prime a side," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier the vote. “Do you basal with the American radical who are exhausted with everlastingly wars successful the Middle East oregon basal with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth arsenic they bumble america headfirst into different war?”

Sen. John Barrasso, 2nd successful Senate Republican leadership, said during the statement that GOP senators were sending a connection that Democrats are incorrect for forcing a ballot connected the warfare powers resolution.

“Democrats would alternatively obstruct Donald Trump than obliterate Iran’s nationalist atomic program,” helium added.

Trump medication scrambles for legislature support

After launching a astonishment onslaught against Iran connected Saturday, Trump has scrambled to triumph enactment for a struggle that Americans of each governmental persuasions were already wary of entering. Trump medication officials person been a predominant beingness connected Capitol Hill this week arsenic they effort to reassure lawmakers that they person the concern nether control.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Wednesday that the warfare could widen 8 weeks, a longer clip framework than has antecedently been floated by the Trump administration. He besides acknowledged that Iran is inactive capable to transportation retired rocket attacks adjacent arsenic the U.S. tries to power the country's airspace.

U.S. work members “remain successful harm’s way, and we indispensable beryllium clear-eyed that the hazard is inactive high,” Gen. Dan Caine, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said astatine the aforesaid property conference.

Six U.S. subject members were killed implicit the play successful a drone onslaught successful Kuwait.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa acknowledged the quality costs of the warfare successful her level speech. Two of the soldiers killed Sunday were from Iowa and a National Guard portion from her authorities was besides attacked successful Syria successful December, resulting successful the deaths of 2 different soldiers.

“But present is our accidental to bring an extremity to the decades of chaos,” said Ernst, who herself served arsenic an serviceman successful the Iowa National Guard for 2 decades.

“The sooner the better,” she added.

Trump has besides not ruled retired deploying U.S. crushed troops. He has said helium is hoping to extremity the bombing run wrong a fewer weeks, but his goals for the warfare person shifted from authorities alteration to stopping Iran from processing atomic capabilities to crippling its navy and rocket programs.

“We should beryllium cautious astir opening a doorway into chaos successful the Middle East erstwhile we cannot spot the different broadside of it,” Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said successful a solemn level code aft the ballot concluded.

He said helium was praying for “grace to find a way guardant unneurotic wherever much bash not needlessly articulation those who person already fallen successful this caller warfare successful the Middle East.”

Lawmakers spell connected record

The votes successful Congress this week represented perchance consequential markers of conscionable wherever lawmakers basal connected the warfare arsenic they look up to midterm elections and the consequences of the conflict.

“Nobody gets to fell and springiness the president an casual walk oregon an end-run astir the Constitution,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat starring the warfare powers resolution.

Republican leaders person successfully, though narrowly, defeated a bid of warfare powers resolutions pertaining to respective different conflicts that Trump has entered oregon threatened to enter. This one, however, was different.

Unlike Trump's subject campaigns against alleged cause boats oregon adjacent Venezuelan person Nicolás Maduro, the onslaught connected Iran represents an open-ended struggle that is already ricocheting crossed the region. Several senators who person voted for erstwhile warfare powers resolutions noted that they opposed this 1 due to the fact that it applied to a struggle that is already raging.

“Passing this solution present would nonstop the incorrect connection to Iran and to our troops,” said GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. "At this juncture, providing unequivocal enactment to our work members is critically important, arsenic is ongoing consultation by the medication with Congress.”

House ballot looms

On the different broadside of the Capitol, an aggravated statement implicit the warfare unfolded earlier a ballot Thursday. The House archetypal debated a solution presented by GOP enactment affirming that Iran is the world’s largest authorities sponsor of terrorism.

Rep. Brian Mast, the GOP president of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, publically thanked Trump for taking enactment against Iran, saying the president is utilizing his ain law authorization to support the U.S. against the “imminent threat” of Iran.

Mast, an Army seasoned who worked arsenic a weaponry disposal adept successful Afghanistan, said the Democratic solution was efficaciously asking “that the president bash nothing.”

Rep. Gregory Meeks, the apical Democrat connected the Foreign Affairs panel, said earlier the statement that the hardest votes helium has taken successful Congress person been to determine whether to nonstop U.S. troops to war. “Our young men and women’s lives are connected the line,” helium said, his dependable showing emotion arsenic helium emerged from a closed-door briefing precocious Tuesday with Trump officials.

At a quality league Wednesday, respective Democratic members who are besides veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars spoke astir the dense costs of those conflicts.

One of them was Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. “I learned erstwhile I was warring successful Iraq and Afghanistan, that erstwhile elites successful Washington bang the warfare drums, lb their chest, speech astir the costs of warfare and enactment tough, they're not talking astir them doing it, they're not talking astir their kids,” Crow said. “They're talking astir moving people kids similar us.”

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.