Senate Republicans on Wednesday voted down an attempt to require Donald Trump receive Congress’s permission before continuing the war with Iran, batting aside concerns from Democrats that the campaign is illegal and risks plunging the United States into a prolonged conflict. The 47-53 vote on a war powers resolution introduced by Virginia Democrat Tim Kaine broke largely along party lines. Before the vote, Democratic senator Chris Murphy said the resolution was necessary to prevent Trump from repeating in Iran the follies of previous US presidents in Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere. The House of Representatives will on Thursday vote on a war powers resolution introduced by Republican Thomas Massie and Democrat Ro Khanna, but it faces similarly dim odds. “I am certainly hopeful and I believe we do have votes to put it down.”Even if a war powers resolution were to clear the House and Senate, Trump could veto it, and lawmakers would need two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override that.

Source: The Guardian March 04, 2026 18:30 UTC