The United States Senate voted on Tuesday to compel President Donald Trump to halt American military operations in Iran, staging a rare bipartisan pushback against the executive branch’s handling of the conflict.
The upper chamber approved the war powers resolution with a narrow 50-48 vote, following its previous passage in the House of Representatives earlier this month.
The legislative rebuke signals deepening anxiety within Congress regarding the war, which erupted on February 28 after coordinated military strikes by the U.S. and Israel against Iranian targets.
This historic vote represents the first time since the implementation of the 1973 War Powers Resolution that both houses of Congress have successfully approved a measure ordering a sitting president to pull American forces from active combat.
Although the resolution is widely considered symbolic and unlikely to swiftly transform U.S. foreign policy, it deals a political blow to Trump, who has traditionally maintained unified backing from congressional Republicans.
The congressional challenge arrives just as the White House prepares to request tens of billions of dollars from lawmakers to finance the ongoing military operations. Even with thin majorities in both chambers, several Republican lawmakers have recently broken ranks with the administration on pivotal issues ahead of the upcoming November midterm elections.
GOP politicians have also raised red flags over other White House spending bills. These include a controversial $1.8 billion fund designed to compensate political allies who Trump claims were victims of unfair federal targeting, alongside a separate $70 billion immigration enforcement strategy.
Public support for the armed intervention remains low. A Reuters/Ipsos survey published on Tuesday indicated that a mere quarter of Americans view the war against Iran as worth the expenditure, with a substantial majority expressing skepticism that any ceasefire negotiated with Tehran would endure.
The final Senate vote strictly mirrored partisan divisions, save for four Republicans who crossed the aisle to join nearly all Democrats in backing the resolution. Conversely, two Republican senators were absent and did not vote.
Trump lambasted the legislative maneuver in a social media commentary late Tuesday night.
“Poorly timed and meaningless,” he wrote, arguing that supporters of the resolution were giving “comfort” to Iran and making his job “more difficult.”
The unfolding legislative battle emphasizes the sharpening friction between Congress and the White House regarding the Iranian conflict, as lawmakers work to reclaim their constitutional authority over decisions of war and peace.