Public opposition and rising gas prices have intensified pressure on lawmakers.
The Senate once again on May 13 rejected a resolution aimed at ending the war in Iran, although the measure gained its strongest Republican support yet.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine) joined all Democrats in backing the proposal introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). The resolution failed in a 49–50 vote, the closest that any war powers measure has come to advancing since the conflict began.
The vote came shortly after the Trump administration was accused of exceeding the legal deadline established under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires military operations to end after 60 days unless Congress authorizes continued involvement. Several Republicans had previously suggested that crossing the deadline could shift their position on the war.
Public opposition and rising gas prices have intensified pressure on lawmakers. Ahead of the vote, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told reporters that Republican resistance to the war had developed “much more slowly” than he had hoped.
“We know what our colleagues are hearing,“ Kaine said. ”We know what they’re hearing from their constituents, and we’re starting to hear doubt creep into their words. There will be a day—and it might be soon, I believe—where the Senate will say to the president, ‘Stop this war.’”
The administration has said the War Powers Resolution deadline does not apply because of an indefinite ceasefire with Iran extended by President Donald Trump.
Despite a pause in bombing campaigns, U.S. naval forces continue blockading Iranian ports in response to Tehran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping route. On May 11, Trump described the ceasefire as being on “life support.”
Despite mounting economic fallout and legal concerns, most Republicans remained aligned with Trump.
According to the Pentagon, the United States has spent roughly $29 billion on the war so far.
War Department Chief Financial Officer Jules Hurst disclosed the updated figure during testimony before the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense on May 12, citing rising repair costs, equipment replacement, and ongoing military operations. The department had estimated total costs at $25 billion just weeks earlier.
