Only One Republican Backs Failed Attempt To Restrict Trump’s Iran Military Action
The Senate on Wednesday rejected legislation aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from taking military action against Iran without congressional approval.
Lawmakers in the upper chamber voted 52-48, giving Trump the green light to continue his strikes against Iran without regard for Congress. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a co-sponsor of the legislation, was the only Republican to vote with nearly all Democrats in an effort to restrict the president’s authority to use military force without first consulting Congress. (RELATED: Only One in Four Americans Support Trump’s Iran Strikes, Poll Finds)
“They have [Iran has] I think they’re saying they’ve been a week away from a nuclear weapon since 1996,” Paul told reporters Wednesday. “The other thing is, ‘Oh no, we’ve really been at war for 40 years, and now we’re just ending the war.’ I mean, most of the arguments don’t seem to hold water.
Rand Paul believes that most of the arguments put forward by the Trump administration in favor of war in Iran make no sense:
“They say they’ve been a week away from a nuclear weapon, I think, since 1996. The other thing is, ‘Oh no, we’ve really been at war for 40 years, and now we’re just ending the…
– Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) March 4, 2026
Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman also broke with his party and sided with the Republicans, even going so far as to praise Trump for eliminating the oppressive regime.
“So to me, why can’t we just say, “Look, it’s a good thing the way we are,” Fetterman said Wednesday. “And now what’s the end game? Well the end game is for more real peace, rather than just posting tweets and statements saying we can never allow Iran is going to acquire a nuclear bomb. When someone does something to make this happen, you know, I think we should just [be] the country rather than the party.
Paul also backed a war powers resolution in January to block Trump’s military action in Venezuela following the capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro. Four other Republicans — Senators Todd Young of Indiana, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — supported the Venezuelan resolution, but voted against restricting Trump’s use of force in Iran.
“Passing this resolution now would send the wrong message to Iran and our troops,” Collins, who is running for reelection in a hotly contested race, said Wednesday. “At this time, providing unequivocal support for our military is critically important, as is the administration’s continued consultation with Congress. »
“Passing this resolution now would send the wrong message to Iran and our troops,” Collins, who is running for reelection in a hotly contested race, said Wednesday. “At this time, providing unequivocal support for our military is critically important, as is the administration’s continued consultation with Congress. »
Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, opposes the war powers resolution requiring Trump to obtain congressional approval to use military force against Iran: “Passing this resolution now would send the wrong message to Iran and our troops. At this point, unequivocally providing…
– Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) March 4, 2026
The vote comes just days after Trump on Saturday morning authorized Operation Epic Fury on Iran aimed at demolishing the Islamic theocracy’s nuclear arsenal and naval capabilities. claims Iran “was going to attack first.” Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a number of other senior Iranian officials have been killed in joint US-Israeli strikes.
The Iranian campaign is largely unpopular, according to a recent poll. Only one in four Americans support strikes in the region, but Trump has dismissed the polls, saying he must “do the right thing.”
Administration officials held a briefing on Iran with the the top eight lawmakers on Capitol Hill before Trump’s State of the Union address last week, and again on Monday.
All lawmakers in both chambers of the Hill attended briefings on the strikes Tuesday, but some lawmakers, like Young, stressed the need for oversight and hearings by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“In the immediate future, we need to make sure the American people are safe,” Young told reporters Wednesday. “My reading of the situation, aside from how we got here while we are at war, is that it would be very dangerous for the American people to immediately cease all action and withdraw our troops in the midst of this destabilization.”
The immediate withdrawal of troops is also raising tensions within the House. The lower house is expected to vote Thursday on a war powers bill introduced by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna. However, a group of bipartisan lawmakers believed that immediately halting military action would negatively impact the administration’s key national security efforts.
Half a dozen Democrats introduced a second War Powers Act, giving the administration 30 days to cease operations and withdraw troops. As the war continues and is expected to rapidly escalate, Trump will likely veto any attempt to block his authority for military action.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free to any legitimate news publisher capable of delivering a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and DCNF affiliation. For questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact licenses@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
