June 25, 2026

US Senate Rejects Resolution to Curb Trump’s Iran War Powers

The United States Senate on Wednesday rejected a resolution seeking to limit President Donald Trump’s authority over the ongoing conflict with Iran, a day after lawmakers approved a separate measure calling for an end to the war.

 

The development marked a reversal by some Republican lawmakers following pressure from the president, who had criticised Tuesday’s vote as “poorly timed and meaningless.”

 

On Tuesday, the Senate voted 50-48 in favour of a resolution urging an end to the Iran conflict, a move widely seen as a symbolic rebuke of the White House as it pursues negotiations with Tehran. However, the measure has little practical effect because the president retains veto powers.

 

Trump strongly opposed the resolution, arguing that it undermined his administration’s efforts.

 

According to US media reports, the president expressed frustration during a closed-door lunch meeting with Republican senators on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

 

Hours later, Republican Senators Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy, who had previously supported efforts to check the president’s war powers, voted against a separate resolution seeking to restrict Trump’s authority.

 

The measure was defeated by a vote of 50-47.

 

The vote did not overturn or alter the outcome of Tuesday’s resolution but signalled renewed support for the president among Senate Republicans.

 

Reacting to the outcome, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “This vote puts Iran on notice!”

 

Senator John Kennedy, who attended the lunch meeting, told The New York Times that Trump “was mad as a murder hornet.”

 

Other lawmakers present reportedly said the president used the meeting to air a range of grievances and complaints.