United States Capitol, April 9, 2026 (Photo: Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
WASHINGTON – The Republican-led U.S. Senate on Tuesday held a uncommon public scrutiny of President Donald Trump’s agenda, voting in favor of the House-passed War Powers Resolution aimed at ending hostilities in Iran.
Senate confirmation marked the first time both chambers were approved they agreed in a rebuke to Trump over his war in Iran.
A concurrent resolution that was adopted 50-48, it does not require the president’s signature, and its feasibility is a perennial topic debate.
The Senate’s approval came in the context of a peace agreement reached by the administration layouts with Iran, which were criticized from both sides of the conflict.
Four Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the measure: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; Rand Paul of Kentucky; Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who recently lost the primary after Trump endorsed his opponent; and Susan Collins, who is running a arduous re-election campaign in Maine.
Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted “no.” In several countries, Paul and Fetterman broke ranks with their parties previous Vote on resolution of Iran war powers.
Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was recently hospitalized, and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania did not vote. McCormick was with Trump on the trip to Pennsylvania.
Impact debate
Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, argue that the war powers’ resolutions are unconstitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1983 that congressional decisions did not require the president’s signature.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Congress “stood up to Donald Trump and voted to end his costly, unnecessary and devastating war with Iran.”
“Let me be clear: this is the first time that this resolution has passed both houses of Congress and does not require the president’s signature. The message from the only branch of government with the power to declare war is clear: the Trump administration must withdraw American forces from the war in Iran. The pressure on Republicans is growing,” Schumer said in a statement after the vote.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., who sponsored the original resolution passed by the House on June 3, said the measure was binding and the president “must cease all hostilities against Iran.”
“No matter what President Trump says, this measure is binding under the War Powers Resolution, and I will explore all legal options to ensure that the executive branch complies with the will of Congress. Congress never authorized this failed war, and the president certainly does not have the authority to continue it indefinitely without our consent, as the Constitution requires,” Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement.
The White House declined to comment on the vote.
Negotiations are ongoing
Administration officials, who maintain that hostilities ended in early April, have 60 days to reach a final agreement with Iran.
As part of the interim memorandum of understanding in place during the talks, the administration erected a naval blockade of Iranian ports and economic sanctions on Iranian oil, which allowed the Islamic Republic to sell it on the world market.
The interim agreement also accuses Iran of demining the Strait of Hormuz and allowing tankers and cargo ships to travel freely, while Iran and Oman create a plan to pass through the narrow shipping lane that transported one-fifth of the world’s oil before the war.
Trump shared on social media threats to Iran over the weekend as Iran’s recent Gulf Strait Authority continued to impose some restrictions requirements so that the ships can pass.
Thirteen American soldiers were killed and over 400 wounded in the war started by the United States and Israel on February 28. According to to the Pentagon. Thousands of civilians have been killed in the fighting across Iran and the Persian Gulf region.
