A measure that would block the president’s ability to wage war against Iran without congressional approval failed to advance in the Senate on March 4, a victory for the Trump administration.
The procedural vote over the war powers resolution, which was introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), was 47 to 53. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a bill cosponsor, was the lone Republican to support the measure. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) broke with his party in voting against the resolution.
The vote came five days into the U.S.–Israel attacks on Iran, leading to a war that has affected much of the Middle East. President Donald Trump said he launched the attack to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Many Democrats have criticized the president for the campaign and for not seeking congressional approval before initiating the strikes.
Kaine condemned the administration’s approach on Feb. 28, the day the bombing started.
“Has President Trump learned nothing from decades of U.S. meddling in Iran and forever wars in the Middle East?” he asked, calling the strikes “a colossal mistake.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a Feb. 28 statement that “Iran must never be allowed to attain a nuclear weapon, but the American people do not want another endless and costly war in the Middle East when there are so many problems at home.”
Many Republicans, meanwhile, have expressed support for the operation. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) applauded Trump “for taking action to thwart these threats.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has staunchly supported the war.
“This operation has been well-planned,” he wrote on X on Feb. 28. “It will be violent, extensive and I believe, at the end of the day, successful. Again the demise of the ayatollah’s regime with American blood on its hands is necessary and more than justified.”
In the House of Representatives, a war powers resolution regarding Iran was introduced by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). The House is scheduled to vote on it on March 5.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) decried the measure in a news conference on March 4.
“I think passage of a War Powers Resolution right now would be a terrible, dangerous idea. … It would empower our enemies, it would kneecap our own forces, and it would take the ability of the U.S. military and the commander in chief away from completing this critical mission to keep everybody safe,” he said.
In a post on X on Feb. 28, Massie wrote that the war “is not ‘America First.’”
The initial strikes by the United States and Israel on Feb. 28 took out senior leaders of the regime in Tehran, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Senior officials in the Trump administration have briefed members of Congress, making the case for why the war is necessary.
According to the Trump administration, its operation has four objectives: destroying Iranian missile capabilities, neutralizing the Iranian navy, disrupting terrorist proxy networks, and preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Although the president, as commander in chief, has the authority to carry out certain strategic military actions independently, the Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war. Before the start of the Iraq War in March 2003, President George W. Bush spent months seeking congressional approval. In contrast, no such authorization vote was pursued regarding Iran, and an earlier Senate attempt to curb Trump’s actions following his summer 2025 strike on Iran was unsuccessful.
Any congressional debate over war powers would largely be symbolic. Even if a resolution managed to pass the closely divided Congress, Trump would likely veto it, and lawmakers would lack the two-thirds majority necessary to override that veto. Historically, Congress has struggled to stop other U.S. military actions—such as in a Senate vote concerning Venezuela—although these votes remain on record as public statements of lawmakers’ positions.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
