US Senate reverses course on president’s war powers
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• President lashes out at Republicans during a closed-door Capitol Hill lunch over earlier votes
• Senators Bill Cassidy, Rand Paul shift positions following White House intervention
• Administration seeks $70bn for war, needs Democrats to pass 60-vote barrier
WASHINGTON: The US Senate blocked an Iran war powers resolution late on Wednesday night, abruptly reversing course hours after a closed-door lunch between President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers erupted into a fierce shouting match over the conflict.
The late-night procedural vote ended in a 50-47 tally to block the measure, which originally advanced in May. The resolution directed Trump to withdraw US forces from hostilities with Iran until Congress authorises the deployment.
The turnaround came after intense White House pressure, prompting two Republican senators who supported previous checks on executive authority to alter their stances. Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted no, while Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky voted “present”.
The vote followed a contentious lunch on Capitol Hill where Trump lashed out at lawmakers. Senator John Kennedy told The New York Times that Trump “was mad as a murder hornet,” and other attendees said the president aired a long list of grievances.
During the high-volume exchange, Trump engaged in a shouting match with Cassidy, who demanded the administration explain a framework deal signed last week.
The MoU gives Iran financial incentives but falls short of the goals laid out at the war’s beginning, which started with US and Israeli strikes on February 28.
“The American people need to know more than we are being told,” Cassidy told reporters. “It does not appear, although I don’t know for sure, that the course of this is going the way that we were told.”
Cassidy reversed his stance after receiving an afternoon White House briefing. On social media platform X, Cassidy thanked Vice President JD Vance and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff for the thorough briefing, adding, “I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.”
Wednesday’s vote does not alter a separate resolution passed on Tuesday in a 50-48 vote. That largely symbolic measure, approved by the House this month, called for an end to the war.
Trump slammed Tuesday’s vote as “poorly timed and meaningless,” but praised Wednesday’s outcome on Truth Social, writing, “This vote puts Iran on notice!”
Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted for the resolution with every Democrat except Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who voted no. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Michael Bennet of Colorado did not vote.
Election pressure and war funds
The political struggle highlights how the war weighs on Trump ahead of November elections. With his approval rating at its lowest since returning to office last year, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed just one in four Americans believes the war was worth its costs.
Further complicating matters, the administration requested $70 billion on Wednesday to cover the war’s expenses. The supplemental budget requires 60 Senate votes to pass, necessitating Democratic support in a chamber where Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.
Published in Dawn, June 26 , 2026 ...