Senate Republicans on Wednesday again blocked a Democratic effort to curb President Trump's authority to continue military operations against Iran. The chamber voted 46-51 against advancing a war powers resolution out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, effectively halting the measure. Sen. Rand Paul was the only Republican to support moving the resolution forward, the Hill reports, while Sen. John Fetterman was the lone Democrat to oppose it. The vote was the fifth recent attempt by Democrats to limit the administration's ability to wage war with Iran that has failed in the Senate.
The resolution's sponsor, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, argued that Trump campaigned on avoiding new foreign conflicts and compared the current Iran campaign, which began Feb. 28, to the Iraq war. She said both lacked clear objectives, exit strategies, and public backing, noting that US service members were again being put at risk in a conflict that many Americans do not support. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of 4,557 adults conducted April 15-20 found that 36% of respondents approved of the strikes against Iran.
Opponents, led by Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker of Mississippi, said the proposal would undercut the president's ability to respond to threats. Wicker called the resolution dangerous. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said before the vote that the issue will return, per the Wall Street Journal. "Democrats will continue to force votes on war powers resolutions every week until Republicans decide to put the American people over Donald Trump and end this war," he said.
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