Senate passes Iran war powers resolution

Trump would likely veto any binding measure that attempted to invoke Congress’s authority under the War Powers Act to require him to withdraw forces.

By Andrew Bernard, JNS

The Senate voted on Tuesday to pass a war powers resolution directing U.S. President Donald Trump to remove American military forces from the conflict with Iran.

Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted with every Democrat except Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) to approve the rare rebuke of a president’s warmaking authority 50-48.

The concurrent resolution, which originated in the House and passed 215-208 earlier in June, marks the first time that both chambers of Congress have expressed formal, albeit symbolic, disapproval of the war against Iran.

Concurrent resolutions do not have the force of law and do not proceed to the president for signature.

The Senate previously voted 10 times on war powers resolutions without passing any of them, although it voted to advance a potentially binding, joint resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in May.

Trump would likely veto any binding measure that attempted to invoke Congress’s authority under the War Powers Act to require him to withdraw forces.

Tuesday’s passage of the resolution was made possible by the absences of Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), who did not vote on the measure.

McConnell, who is retiring at the end of his term, is in Kentucky recovering from a recent hospitalization, while McCormick is travelling with Trump in Pennsylvania.

McCormick’s fellow Pennsylvanian Fetterman was once again the lone Democrat to oppose the measure, continuing to break with many in his party over his support for Israel and for military action against Iran.