Senate rebukes Trump, passes Iran war powers resolution 50-48
Four Republicans joined almost every Democrat to curb Trump’s Iran war powers, exposing a rare GOP break over military authority. The 50-48 vote was the first such measure to clear both chambers.
The Senate’s 50-48 vote on a House-passed Iran war powers resolution split Republicans from President Donald Trump over who controls military action against Iran. Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky joined nearly all Democrats to back the measure, making it the first Iran war powers resolution to pass both chambers of Congress.
The concurrent resolution directs the president to remove U.S. armed forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran unless Congress declares war or authorizes force. Because it is concurrent, it does not go to Trump for a signature. The White House said it has no current legal significance, arguing that hostilities ended with the ceasefire on April 7, 2026.
The vote came during a 60-day U.S.-Iranian ceasefire and ongoing negotiations for a longer-term peace pact, after U.S. and Israeli military strikes began on Feb. 28, 2026. It was also the 10th Senate vote on war powers tied to the Iran conflict since the fighting started.
The House passed the companion measure earlier this month by 215-208, with four Republicans also breaking ranks there. In the Senate, Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the lone Democrat to vote no. Republicans Mitch McConnell and Dave McCormick did not vote, and the White House said the absences helped the resolution pass.
Congress has never used the War Powers Resolution of 1973 to force a president to end military action against his will. Senator Tim Kaine is expected to press next for a potentially binding joint war powers resolution, but that path would likely run into a veto that Congress would struggle to override.
Trump responded on Truth Social, calling the measure “poorly timed and meaningless,” accusing the four Republican senators of giving “aid and comfort” to Iran, and saying they had made his job more difficult. He also said, “I will get it done, one way or the other.”
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
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