The Republican-controlled US Senate has voted down a Democratic-led initiative aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to launch further military action against Iran. This proposal would have required Trump to seek congressional approval before undertaking any new military steps, but the Senate’s vote, primarily along party lines, means his war powers remain unchanged.
The Democratic attempt to restrict presidential war powers came mere hours after Trump indicated he would consider additional airstrikes. The Senate voted 53 to 47 against the war powers resolution, which explicitly mandated congressional approval for any new hostilities with Iran. The vote largely split along party lines, with notable exceptions: Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman sided with Republicans, while Kentucky Republican Rand Paul supported the Democrats.
Senator Tim Kaine, who spearheaded the resolution, emphasized that its purpose was to restore Congress’s constitutional authority to declare war – a power vested in lawmakers, not the president. Ahead of the vote, Kaine stated, “If you believe the president should come to Congress first — whether or not you support war with Iran — you’ll support Senate Joint Resolution 59. You’ll support the Constitution that has stood the test of time.”
Lawmakers continue to press for details regarding last weekend’s US strikes on Iran and the current status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. Earlier on Friday, Trump strongly criticized Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, canceled plans to ease sanctions on Iran, and declared his openness to further strikes if Iran continued enriching uranium to dangerous levels. His remarks were in response to Khamenei’s comments following a 12-day conflict with Israel, which concluded after US bombing raids on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Debate Over Strike Severity and Presidential Authority Trump’s national security team conducted closed-door briefings for members of the Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday and Friday. Many Democrats, however, expressed skepticism after the briefings, stating they were unconvinced that Iran’s nuclear sites had been “obliterated” as Trump had claimed.
Opponents of the war powers resolution argued that the recent Iran strike was a limited action falling within Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief, rather than constituting a broader military campaign. Senator Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee and former ambassador to Japan, contended that such a resolution could unduly restrict any president from acting swiftly during a crisis. “We must not shackle our president in the middle of a crisis when lives are on the line,” Hagerty asserted.
Trump has consistently denied suggestions that the damage to Iran’s nuclear program was less severe than reported. Iran, conversely, maintains that its nuclear activities are solely for civilian energy purposes.
Under US law, Senate war powers resolutions are considered privileged, necessitating a prompt vote. Kaine introduced the measure earlier this month. For the resolution to become effective, it would have required passage in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close Trump ally, had stated this week that he did not believe the timing was appropriate. This is not Senator Kaine’s first attempt; he previously introduced a similar resolution in 2020 during Trump’s first term to limit presidential war-making powers against Iran. That earlier version passed both chambers with some Republican backing but ultimately failed to override Trump’s veto.
