Senate Republicans blocked Democratic legislation that would halt President Donald Trump's war with Iran on Wednesday. However, the number of GOP senators voting against the war grew, as seen with Republican Sen Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voting against the war for the first time since it began at the end of February. Two other Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, also voted against the war, as they had done previously.
Senator Jeff Merkley, D-Ore. , the ranking member, and Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, prepare to hear from US Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on his 2027 budget request, at the Capitol in Washington on April 30.
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Wednesday again blocked Democratic legislation that would halt President Donald Trump's war with Iran, but the number of GOP senators voting against the war grew. Republican Sen Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted against the war for the first time since it began at the end of February. Two other Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, also voted against the war, as they had done previously.
The war powers legislation ultimately failed to advance 49-50, with Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania the only Democrat to oppose it, yet the close tally reflected growing unease with Trump's war. Several other Republican senators have signalled they want Congress to weigh in on the direction of the conflict.
"There will be a day — and it might be soon, I believe — where this Senate will say to the president, 'Stop this war,'" Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, who has spearheaded his party's tactic of forcing repeated votes on the war, said before the vote. Even if it passes the Senate, a war powers resolution would have a slim chance of passing the House and would also certainly be vetoed by Trump.
But Democrats say the votes are about building political pressure on the president either to withdraw from the conflict or seek congressional authorisation to wage the war. The White House, meanwhile, has asserted that it does not need congressional authorisation for the war and has circumvented legal requirements to gain approval from Congress to continue the military campaign.
That posture has created tension between the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House because presidents under the War Powers Resolution of 1973 are required to obtain authorisation from Congress after 60 days of engaging in a conflict. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers this week that the US could start attacking Iran again without the White House seeking congressional approval. He told Murkowski during a hearing on Tuesday that the Trump administration believes it has "all the authorities necessary".
Murkowski voiced skepticism about that argument. She pointed to the troops and war ships deployed to the region, saying, "It doesn't appear that hostilities have ended.
"Republican leadership has continued to back the war with Iran, arguing that the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz that has blocked most commercial shipping puts more economic pressure on Iran than it does on the US "Iran's economy is on life support. Its leadership is eliminated," said Senator John Barrasso, the number two Republican in leadership, during a floor speech Wednesday. He also argued that the Democratic effort on the war is all about undermining Trump.
Forcing the issue just as he arrived in China for a summit would "pull out the rug from under him", Barrasso said. Still, Republicans are also growing uneasy about the high gas prices, especially as the November elections draw near. Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, said Wednesday he'd prefer that the two branches of government work out the constitutional issues instead of a congressional war powers vote or a potential challenge in court.
The two sides should sit down together and say "we have shared constitutional responsibilities", Rounds said. Democrats plan to keep forcing weekly votes on war powers resolutions and are looking ahead to put limitations on Trump during the debate over annual legislation that authorizes and funds the military.
Senator Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat who sponsored Wednesday's resolution, told reporters that he believes there is an "erosion of support, erosion of enthusiasm, an increase in scepticism" about the war from Republicans.
Please follow us on Google to support usSenate Republican Democrat Lisa Murkowski Iran War War Powers Bill Trump War Powers Resolution John Barrasso John Fetterman Pete Hegseth John Mccain Susan Collins
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