Republicans vote down legislation to halt Iran war in Congress' first vote on conflict

Senate Republicans voted down an effort connected Wednesday (March 4, 2026) to halt President Donald Trump's warfare against Iran, demonstrating aboriginal enactment for a struggle that has rapidly dispersed crossed the West Asia with nary wide U.S. exit strategy.

The legislation, known arsenic a warfare powers resolution, failed connected a 47-53 ballot tally. The ballot fell mostly on enactment lines, though Republican Sen Rand Paul of Kentucky voted successful favour and Democratic Sen John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against.

The warfare powers solution gave lawmakers an accidental to request legislature support earlier immoderate further attacks are carried out. The ballot forced them to instrumentality a basal connected a warfare shaping the destiny of U.S. subject members, countless different lives and the aboriginal of the region.

Underscoring the gravity of the moment, Democratic senators filled the Senate enclosure and sat astatine their desks arsenic the voting got underway. Typically, senators measurement into the enclosure to formed their vote, past leave.

“Today each legislator — each azygous 1 — volition prime a side," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier the vote. “Do you basal with the American radical who are exhausted with everlastingly wars successful the Middle East oregon basal with Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth arsenic they bumble america headfirst into different war?” Sen John Barrasso, 2nd successful Senate Republican leadership, said during the statement that GOP senators would nonstop a connection that Democrats are incorrect for forcing a ballot connected the warfare powers resolution.

“Democrats would alternatively obstruct Donald Trump than obliterate Iran's nationalist atomic program,” helium added.

Trump medication scrambles for legislature support

After launching a astonishment onslaught against Iran connected Saturday (February 28, 2026), Mr. Trump has scrambled to triumph enactment for a struggle that Americans of each governmental persuasions were already wary of entering. Trump medication officials person been a predominant beingness connected Capitol Hill this week arsenic they effort to reassure lawmakers that they person the concern nether control.

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said connected Wednesday that the warfare could widen 8 weeks, a longer clip framework than has antecedently been floated by the Trump administration. He besides acknowledged that Iran is inactive capable to transportation retired rocket attacks adjacent arsenic the U.S. tries to power the country's airspace.

U.S. work members “remain successful harm's way, and we indispensable beryllium clear-eyed that the hazard is inactive high,” Gen Dan Caine, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said astatine the aforesaid property conference.

Six U.S. subject members were killed implicit the play successful a drone onslaught successful Kuwait.

Republican Sen Joni Ernst of Iowa acknowledged the quality costs of the warfare successful her level speech. One of the soldiers killed Sunday was from Iowa, and a National Guard portion from her authorities was besides attacked successful Syria successful December, resulting successful the deaths of 2 different soldiers.

“But present is our accidental to bring an extremity to the decades of chaos,” said Ms. Ernst, who herself served arsenic an serviceman successful the Iowa National Guard for 2 decades.

“The sooner the better,” she added.

Mr. Trump has besides not ruled retired deploying U.S. crushed troops. He has said helium is hoping to extremity the bombing run wrong a fewer weeks, but his goals for the warfare person shifted from authorities alteration to stopping Iran from processing atomic capabilities to crippling its navy and rocket programs.

Lawmakers spell connected record

The votes successful Congress this week represented perchance consequential markers of conscionable wherever lawmakers basal connected the warfare arsenic they look up to midterm elections and the consequences of the conflict.

“Nobody gets to fell and springiness the president an casual walk oregon an end-run astir the Constitution,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat starring the warfare powers resolution. “Everybody's got to state whether they're for this warfare oregon against it.” Republican leaders person successfully, though narrowly, defeated a bid of warfare powers resolutions pertaining to respective different conflicts that Mr. Trump has entered oregon threatened to enter. This one, however, was different.

Unlike Mr. Trump's subject campaigns against alleged cause boats oregon adjacent Venezuelan person Nicolás Maduro, the onslaught connected Iran represents an open-ended struggle that is already ricocheting crossed the region.

Several senators who person voted for erstwhile warfare powers resolutions noted that they opposed this 1 due to the fact that it applied to a struggle that is already raging.

“Passing this solution present would nonstop the incorrect connection to Iran and to our troops,” said GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. "At this juncture, providing unequivocal enactment to our work members is critically important, arsenic is ongoing consultation by the medication with Congress.” Still, Republicans who are utilized to operating successful a governmental enactment dominated by Mr. Trump and his promises of keeping the U.S. retired of overseas entanglements, the infinitesimal represented a spot of whiplash.

“War is ugly, it ever has been ugly, but we're taking retired a authorities that has been trying to onslaught america for rather immoderate time,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican.