The Senate voted largely along party lines Friday evening to block a resolution seeking to prevent President Donald Trump from launching military strikes on Iran absent congressional authorization.
Senators voted 47 to 53 against discharging the war powers resolution, with Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman being the lone Democrat to buck his party. Fetterman is a staunch supporter of Israel and advocated for military action against Iran to prevent its leadership from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“I’m going to vote no on that simply because I would never want to restrict any future president to do this kind of military exercise that was very successful,” Fetterman told reporters. He also said that congressional intervention in pre-Iran strikes would have hindered the success of the president’s military operation.
Fetterman has a higher approval rating with Republicans than Democrats in Pennsylvania, a June Susquehanna Polling and Research poll found.
Republican Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, who criticized Trump’s decision to bomb Iran unilaterally, was the lone GOP senator to support the resolution.
“The Constitution is clear: Congress, not the president, has the authority to declare war,” Paul said. “Congress intended to ensure [following passage of the War Powers Act of 1973] a president would never again unilaterally plunge the American people into war without the people’s representatives in Congress debating the issue.”
Democratic Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine sponsored the war powers resolution and chose to move forward with a vote despite Trump announcing a ceasefire between Iran and Israel on Monday. Republican Kentucky Sen. Thomas Massie, the lead sponsor of a similar resolution in the House, has signaled he will not force a vote on his resolution if the ceasefire holds.
Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, the number-two ranking Republican, accused Senate Democrats of hypocrisy for forcing a vote on the president’s war powers despite previously defending Democratic presidents’ authority to launch military strikes.
“Let’s not forget, Democrats have said presidents can act without a vote in Congress,” Barrasso said on the Senate floor Friday, prior to the vote. “Recall, when President Obama struck Libya in 2011, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress wasn’t needed because the strike was ‘limited.’ Now that there is a Republican in the White House. Democrats are suddenly trying to rewrite the rules.”
Trump told reporters in the White House Briefing Room Friday that he would bomb Iran again if necessary to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“Sure, without question,” Trump told reporters. “They’re exhausted. The last thing they are thinking about is nuclear [weapons],” he added.
Andi Shae Napier contributed to this report.
(Featured Image Media Credit: Screen Capture/CSPAN)
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