Just a day after the US Senate approved a symbolic resolution seeking to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to launch military action against Iran, lawmakers rejected a separate measure that sought to remove US forces from the country after two Republican senators switched their positions.
CNN reported that the Senate voted late at night on Wednesday’s resolution shortly after US President Donald Trump expressed his frustration to Republicans, in a closed-door meeting, who voted for an Iran war powers resolution and who were absent during the vote on the resolution, which was later passed. Trump argued that the passing of such a resolution weakens his position at the negotiating table with Iran.
US President Trump thanks Republican senators
In a post on Truth Social, Trump stated that the two senators had changed their votes on a subsequent war powers resolution. He thanked the senators Rand Paul, Bill Cassidy and Republican party leader John Thune. After the vote in Trump’s favour on the resolution, the final vote tally on it stood at 47-50-1, and the move could not be passed.
When the fresh resolution, aimed at removing US military forces from Iran, was introduced, Paul voted “present,” allowing him to avoid opposing Trump directly while maintaining his long-held constitutional objections to presidential war powers.
Paul, a Republican who has repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, voted present this time “to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace,” he said on X.
Tonight I will vote present on the War Powers resolution.
My opinion on the debate over war and executive power has not changed and I have voted that way several times. But since hostilities seem to be over and the President asked me to give consideration to his negotiating…
— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) June 25, 2026
The measure failed 47-50-1 just before midnight. Now, the Senate is on a two-week recess starting Thursday.
Tense closed-door meeting with Trump
Just before the vote, in a tense closed-door meeting with Trump, Cassidy said he would continue to vote to limit the President’s war powers unless Congress and the American people are given more information about the conflict. However, before the vote on Wednesday, Cassidy said he had been briefed on developments in Iran.
I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns.
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) June 25, 2026
Earlier, in a war powers resolution introduced on Tuesday, two Republicans, Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy, voted to control the president’s war powers on Iran.
The war powers resolution blocked by the Senate on Wednesday was separate from a similar measure approved by both the House and Senate on Tuesday. However, both resolutions remain largely symbolic and do not have the force of law, says the Associated Press.
Story continues below this ad
The vote on a resolution on Wednesday marks the 11th time the Senate has voted on an Iran war powers measure since the beginning of the year.
