A U.S. sailor serves as arresting gear officer as an F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, lands on the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while operating in support of Operation Epic Fury in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea, March 2, 2026. (U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected a bipartisan war powers resolution Wednesday that would have blocked President Donald Trump from continuing to wage war against Iran without explicit approval from Congress.
The 53-47 vote was the first attempt by lawmakers to rein in Trump’s military actions since the U.S. and Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran last weekend. The House is expected to vote on a similar war powers resolution on Thursday.
Sen. Rand Paul, of Kentucky, a sponsor of the resolution, was the only Republican to vote in favor of the measure. Sen. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, was the only Democrat to oppose it.
Most Republicans have strongly backed the airstrikes on Iran and defended Trump’s decision to bypass lawmakers to launch a military operation that has so far killed six U.S. service members. Trump in a legally mandated letter to Congress suggested the campaign could be prolonged.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said the war could last up to eight weeks and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said American troops “remain in harm’s way and we must be clear-eyed that the risk is still high.”
Democrats and some Republicans have argued that such an entanglement required input and authorization from Congress, which is granted the power to declare war under the Constitution.
“We can’t afford to hide under a desk and let any president, Democrat or Republican, send our best and brightest, our own kids, into war to risk their lives unless we have debated it, we have determined it’s in the national interest, we have voted and thereby put our signature and our thumbprint on the notion that it’s worth sending our best and brightest to risk their lives,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., one of the resolution’s sponsors.
But most Republicans said they refused to tie Trump’s hands as he exercised his legal authority as commander in chief. They accused Democrats of using the 1973 War Powers Act, which allows for the swift consideration of any resolution to terminate military hostilities unless Congress has authorized them, as a “partisan battering ram.”
Under the law, the president is required to withdraw forces after 60 days — or 90 days if seeking an extension — unless Congress declares war or authorizes the use of military force.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he believed the law was unconstitutional and pointed out that presidents from both parties have seldom sought permission to carry out limited interventions, such as the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.
“The norm is not declaration of war, the norm is for the president — the commander in chief — to use military force as they believe appropriate,” Graham said. “And the role of the Congress is to check and balance that decision by cutting off funding.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters this week that the Trump administration had “over-complied” with the War Powers Act’s rules by notifying congressional leaders known as the “Gang of 8” ahead of the military strikes and by holding briefings with senior lawmakers in the days afterward.
Democrats leaving the sessions said they remained unclear about the president’s strategic aims in attacking Iran. The strikes have targeted Iran’s naval assets, missile sites, command-and-control nodes and senior leadership and have prompted Iranian retaliatory attacks on Persian Gulf nations.
Some Republicans have indicated that their support for the campaign is not unlimited. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said deploying ground troops into the conflict, which Trump has not ruled out, would require congressional authorization.
Sen. Todd Young, of Indiana, who was one of five Republicans who joined with Democrats to advance a Venezuela war powers resolution in January, voted against the Iran resolution on Wednesday but called on Congress to hold hearings and discussions to keep the American public informed.
“The president intends for this to be a short operation, but as the conflict develops, I urge Congress to engage in oversight and policymaking, including evaluating any potential requests for additional resources or providing additional authorities,” he said in a statement.
Congress has voted on seven other war powers resolutions since June, all of which failed.
