WASHINGTON, June 16 - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday narrowly defeated a Democratic-backed attempt to use the war powers law to require congressional authorization before continuing military action against Iran, the ninth such resolution Democrats have introduced since Israel and the United States began their air attacks on Iran in February.
The chamber voted 48-47 to block the procedural motion that would have taken the resolution forward. The tally largely followed party lines, though four Republicans joined most Democrats to support advancing the measure. Those Republicans were Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Most Republicans opposed the move, and Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted with them.
Five senators did not cast votes on the measure: Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Republican Josh Hawley of Missouri, Democratic Senators Michael Bennet of Colorado and Cory Booker of New Jersey, and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
The procedural defeat came as lawmakers sought further detail from President Donald Trump’s administration about a memorandum of understanding the president announced on Sunday that he described as a framework to end the war. Congress members from both parties have pressed the administration for specifics, with Democrats saying they feel particularly uninformed about the plan. Several Republicans have also urged transparency.
Trump’s Republican Party holds slim majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the House, members recently approved a separate resolution intended to end the Iran war.
The Senate resolution that failed to advance on Tuesday was sponsored by Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia. It joins a string of Democratic-led war powers measures in the Senate: on May 19 lawmakers voted to advance the eighth such resolution, with the same four Republicans siding with nearly all Democrats except Senator Fetterman to move that measure forward. That bill, led by Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, must still clear another procedural hurdle before a final passage vote in the Senate.
Congressional aides said sponsors of the Kaine-led measure continued to work to build support while awaiting more information about the ongoing peace negotiations. The procedural landscape in the Senate means additional votes and further deliberations are likely as legislators press for clarity on the administration’s negotiating framework and next steps.
Context and next steps
Tuesday’s close vote underscores the narrow margins in the Senate and the partisan split over how and when Congress should assert its constitutional role in authorizing military actions. Lawmakers are awaiting the administration’s detailed briefing on the memorandum of understanding the White House outlined as a path to a ceasefire and negotiations intended to end the conflict.