Congress

Iran war powers resolution fails in Senate

The House is set to vote on a similar measure on Thursday.

By Valerie Insinna on March 04, 2026 5:28 pm
Plumes of smoke rise following reported explosions in Tehran on March 1, 2026, after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed a day earlier in a large U.S. and Israeli attack, prompting a new wave of retaliatory missile strikes from Iran. (Photo by Mahsa / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans successfully blocked a war

 powers resolution seeking to stop the use of US military force in Iran

 without congressional authorization, as airstrikes in the region 

continue for the fifth day.

Senators voted 47-53 on the measure put forward by Sen. Tim Kaine, 

D-Va. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman broke ranks with Democrats 

to oppose the resolution, while Republican Sen. Rand Paul 

of Kentucky voted in support of the measure.

Kaine’s war powers resolution provided Congress with its first

 opportunity to weigh in on the ongoing conflict in Iran, known 

within the Defense Department as Operation Epic Fury.

A similar resolution in the House, sponsored by Rep. Ro Khanna, 

D-Calif., and Thomas Massie,R-Ky., is set for a vote on Thursday. 

The measure — which calls for President Donald Trump to

 immediately cease hostilities —  will likely fail in the lower chamber, 

which has seen more dissent amongst hawkish Democrats. On Tuesday

, six Democrats introduced a second resolution that gives 

the president 30 days to stop combat operations in Iran.

Even if passed by Congress, a war powers resolution is unlikely 

to garner the two-thirds majority needed from the House and Senate to withstand a presidential veto. But Kaine has maintained that even unsuccessful 

attempts at enacting a resolution could help influence the White House.

During a call with reporters on Sunday, Kaine said he was prepared to

 force subsequent votes on his bill as the conflict evolves in the coming weeks.

“If it fails, we could file another one, have another vote in two weeks,” he said. “We’re not blocked 

from continuing to file these resolutions. So if, as circumstances change, sometimes people will see 

things that concern them, and they’ll vote no. But then later, as events continue to develop, they may 

vote yes.”

Fetterman had made clear since the early hours of the conflict that he would oppose Democrat efforts 

to pass a war powers resolution, saying on Tuesday that the ongoing military operations had thwarted 

Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons.

“Yes, I’m the only Democrat [who supports the strikes], because I’m 

not afraid of my base to just say, 

‘You know what? This was an overall a good thing,’” he said after a 

Tuesday afternoon briefing by senior Trump administration officials.

The president has the authority to use military force with or without 

congressional approval, argued former Senate Majority Leader Mitch

 McConnell, who now leads the Senate Appropriations defense 

subcommittee, during a floor speech this morning.

“But there are risks involved. And I hope his Administration will work

 to explain the connection between the Commander-in-Chief’s worthy

 objectives and the military and diplomatic means to 

achieve them,” he said. “Connecting ends and means is the essence 

of strategy, and it’s important for the Administration to explain to the

 American people how they intend to do so.