Senate Democrats took another swing at reining in President Trump's Iran war powers on Tuesday, but came up short. The chamber voted 48–47 against moving forward on a resolution that would have required Trump to pull US forces from the conflict and seek explicit approval from Congress before continuing military involvement, the New York Times reports. It marked the ninth attempt by Democrats to assert a stronger legislative role over the war, even as Trump touts a ceasefire deal with Tehran that lawmakers say they haven't seen.
Four Republicans—Sens. Bill Cassidy, Susan Collins, Rand Paul, and Lisa Murkowski—joined Democrats in backing the measure, while Pennsylvania's Sen. John Fetterman was the lone Democrat to oppose it. The same four Republicans voted to advance a similar measure last month. It passed 50-47, with three Republican senators not voting, but Democrats chose not to force a final vote, apparently because they believed it wouldn't have enough GOP support, the Times reports. The House approved a similar resolution in a 215-208 vote earlier this month.
- The measure's sponsor, Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock, argued that the "temporary truce" merely restores the "status quo, at best." He urged fellow lawmakers to put a "check on this president's lawless warmongering," the AP reports. "The time is always right to do what's right," he said.
- GOP leaders, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune, said they want more details but trust Trump is "moving in the right direction." Sen. Jim Risch, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said holding a vote on ending the war while Trump is overseas would bring "tremendous aid and comfort to our enemy," the Times reports. He insisted US forces had not been engaged in hostilities against Iran "for some time," despite continued deployments and intermittent strikes since a ceasefire was first declared in April.
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