US Senate Rejects Iran War Powers Resolution in 50-49 Vote

The U.S. Senate narrowly rejected a resolution seeking to require President Donald Trump to end U.S. hostilities against Iran or obtain congressional authorization, highlighting divisions over presidential war powers weeks before the November midterm elections.

Senators voted 50-49 against the measure on Thursday. Four Republicans — Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — joined most Democrats in supporting the resolution. Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against it.

The measure had previously passed the House of Representatives and called for U.S. forces to be removed from hostilities involving Iran unless Congress explicitly authorized military action.

The vote comes as the Iran conflict becomes an increasingly prominent issue ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted this month found that only 34% of respondents approved of U.S. strikes on Iran.

Democrats have repeatedly pushed war powers resolutions to force lawmakers to publicly state their positions on the conflict. They argue that Congress has constitutional authority over declarations of war and that the Trump administration should obtain explicit authorization for continued military operations.

Republicans supporting Trump have generally argued that the president has sufficient authority as commander-in-chief to conduct the military campaign.

Still, some Republicans have increasingly broken with their party on Iran. Thursday marked Tillis’ first support for an Iran war powers resolution, while Collins, Paul and Murkowski have backed previous congressional efforts to restrict military action.

The Senate has repeatedly considered measures challenging Trump’s Iran war authority since U.S. and Israeli forces began strikes in February. Previous resolutions have produced shifting levels of bipartisan support but have had limited practical effect on White House policy.

The latest vote underscores how the Iran war and presidential war powers remain significant congressional issues as lawmakers head into the final stretch of the 2026 midterm campaign.