Senate Blocks 13th Democratic Resolution to Curb President Trump’s War Powers Against Iran
For the 13th time this year, the Senate voted 50 to 49 on Thursday to reject a Democratic measure calling on President Trump to halt military operations against Iran or seek congressional authorization, as the Middle East conflict entered its sixth month. The resolution, offered this week by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, was blocked when Republicans banded together alongside a single Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, while only three Republicans—Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, and Rand Paul—voted to advance the war powers curb.
Shifting Public Opinion and Economic Fallout Fuel Congressional Clashes
Recent polling released by IPSOS/Reuters shows that overall support for the war has dropped to its lowest point since the conflict began, with 62 percent of surveyed American adults disapproving of U.S. attacks against Iran, while a POLITICO poll notes slipping support and economic concerns even among self-identified MAGA voters. Republican lawmakers have expressed parallel anxieties regarding the financial impacts, with Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota citing rising gas prices as a primary concern on Wednesday, though he and other GOP members defended their opposition by arguing that sudden troop removals would destabilize the region further.
The legislative showdown followed a recent escalation in hostilities that shattered a brief diplomatic pause, featuring retaliatory airstrikes between the U.S. and Iran, joint strikes alongside Saudi Arabia, and an incident near the Suez Canal where a drone struck two ships docked in Egypt. While minority leader Chuck Schumer urged his colleagues to heed public opposition and keep pushing for votes, Republican senators like John Curtis of Utah criticized the repeated measures as unserious, asserting instead that lawmakers should focus on drafting a formal authorization for the use of military force.
