The Senate on Tuesday approved a war powers resolution for the first time aimed at blocking U.S. military action against Iran, as lawmakers scrutinize Trump’s efforts to end a conflict his administration launched without congressional approval but now needs Congress to fund.
The 50-48 vote marked the Senate’s 10th attempt to stop the war and was a sharp reversal from previous efforts. The resolution is largely symbolic and does not carry the full force of law, but it reflects growing concern among some Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate over the war and the deal Trump reached with Iran to end it. The House approved the resolution earlier this month.
Trump responded angrily Tuesday night on Truth Social, calling the vote “poorly timed and meaningless” and saying it “provided aid and comfort” to Iran.
“Time after time, the vast majority of Senate Republicans sided with Trump and his war instead of the American people,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said.
Schumer said Americans have paid the price for “Trump’s historic blunder in Iran,” adding that it “will go down in the history books as one of the worst foreign policy forays America has ever made.”
Four Republican senators who previously backed war powers resolutions voted for the measure Tuesday: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. One Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, voted against it.
Trump criticized the four Republicans, calling them “losers” and saying, “These senators have made my job more difficult.”
Two Republican absences, including Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, left the GOP without enough votes to block the resolution. McConnell was recently hospitalized for an undisclosed reason. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., also missed the vote.
The vote came as the Pentagon is seeking about $80 billion from Congress, mostly for the Iran war, to replenish munitions and stockpiles.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is on Capitol Hill this week seeking the supplemental funding to shore up defense supplies after the war. The request is drawing scrutiny as many Americans continue to face high gas prices and elevated costs of living.
The Pentagon had estimated early in the conflict that the war cost $11.3 billion during its first week. Senators said experts have put the overall cost of Operation: Epic Fury higher, at about $100 billion.
The Defense Department’s funding request is part of a broader increase in military spending the White House is seeking in its budget request this year.
“We should not spend another dime of taxpayer dollars on Operation Epic Failure,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Tuesday.
The Trump administration is seeking $1.5 trillion in defense funding this year, a nearly 50% increase, including $350 billion it wants included in a budget reconciliation package. House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders are working to pass that package without Democratic support, similar to how they approved Trump’s tax cuts package last year.
The 2025 tax cuts package also included a sizable increase in military spending.
