Washington — Senate Republicans on Wednesday again blocked Democratic legislation that would have stalled President Donald Trump War with Iran, but the number of Republican senators who voted against the war rose.
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the war for the first time since it began at the end of February. Two other Republicans, Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, also voted against the war, as they had done before.
The war powers legislation ultimately failed to advance by a vote of 49 to 50, with Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Democrat to oppose it, yet the close result reflects growing anxiety about Trump’s war. Several other Republican senators have indicated they want Congress to weigh in on the direction of the conflict.
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who has led his party’s tactic of forcing repeated votes on the war, said before the vote: “There will come a day — and it may be soon, I think — when the Senate will say to the president: ‘Stop this war.'”
Even if the Senate passes it… War Powers Resolution It would have little chance of passing the House and would almost certainly be vetoed by Trump. But Democrats say the votes are intended to put political pressure on the president to either withdraw from the conflict or obtain congressional authorization to wage war.
Meanwhile, the White House confirmed that it was doing so You do not need authorization from Congress of war and circumvented legal requirements to obtain congressional approval to continue a military campaign. It claims to have “ended” hostilities with Iran because the United States entered into a ceasefire.
This situation has created tension between the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House because presidents under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 are required to obtain congressional authorization 60 days after engaging in a conflict.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers this week that the United States could begin attacking Iran again without the White House seeking congressional approval. Murkowski told during a Hearing is on Tuesday The Trump administration believes it has “all necessary powers.”
Murkowski expressed doubts about this argument. She pointed to the forces and warships deployed in the area, saying: “It does not appear that hostilities have ended.”
The Republican leadership continued to support war with Iran, arguing that the gridlock in the Strait of Hormuz, which has impeded most commercial shipments, imposed greater economic pressure on Iran than on the United States.
“The Iranian economy is on life support,” Senator John Barrasso, the No. 2 Republican in command, said during a speech on Wednesday. “And its leadership has been eliminated.”
He also said the Democratic war effort is about undermining Trump. Barrasso said that forcing the issue once he arrived in China for the summit would “pull the rug out from under him.”
However, Republicans are also feeling uneasy about rising gas prices, especially with the November election looming.
Sen. Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, said on Wednesday that he would rather have both branches of government work to resolve constitutional issues rather than a vote on war powers in Congress or a potential challenge in court.
Rounds said the two sides should sit down together and say, “We have shared constitutional responsibilities.”
Democrats plan to continue forcing weekly votes on war powers resolutions and are looking to place restrictions on Trump during debate over annual legislation that authorizes and funds the military.
Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat who sponsored Wednesday’s resolution, told reporters he believes there has been “an erosion of support, an erosion of enthusiasm, and an increase in skepticism” about the war on the part of Republicans.