The Senate has narrowly turned back a Democratic push to force President Trump to pull U.S. troops out of hostilities with Iran without fresh approval from Congress.
Senators on Tuesday, June 16, voted 47-48 against a motion to discharge the war powers resolution from committee. The measure fell one vote short of advancing.
Four Republicans Break With Trump on Key Vote
Four Republicans crossed party lines to support it: Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
The resolution, sponsored by Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, would have required the president to remove American forces from hostilities in or against Iran unless Congress passes a formal declaration of war or specific authorization for military force.
Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, was the only member of his party to vote no.
The vote came as Trump points to a new framework agreement with Tehran aimed at ending the 109-day conflict. Details of that agreement remain secret, leaving many lawmakers on both sides pressing for more information.
Thune and Schumer Press for More Transparency
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said earlier Tuesday he had asked the administration for the full text and a briefing.
President Trump revealed his plan to release the whole report to the public. He said he would invite members of the press and publicly read the contents of that deal.
Tensions over the Iran-U.S. war have been growing inside the Republican conference.
Just last month, the Senate took the unusual step of advancing a similar resolution for the first time, with the same four Republicans joining Democrats in a 50-47 vote. Three GOP senators were absent that day, allowing the measure to move forward.
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On the floor before Tuesday’s vote, Warnock urged Republicans to break with the president after what he called a failed war and a fragile truce.
Lawmakers from both parties have expressed frustration over the lack of transparency around the administration’s dealings with Iran.
The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, passed by Congress in 2025, requires any nuclear-related deal to be submitted for review before sanctions relief can take effect.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters that Democrats are working to line up additional Republican support for a related resolution from Sen. Tim Kaine.
“We want to make sure all the votes are there,” Schumer said, adding that it is now up to Republicans to decide how far the chamber will go.
The House passed its own resolution earlier this month directing Trump to end unauthorized military action in Iran. That measure has not yet been taken up in the Senate.
The administration has pushed back against congressional efforts to limit its actions. Officials argue that the 1973 War Powers Resolution is unconstitutional in key respects.
They also contend that a statutory 60-day clock for ending unauthorized hostilities was effectively paused by an early April ceasefire announcement, even though both sides have conducted attacks since then.
A group of Democratic senators, led by Sen. Adam Schiff of California, sent Trump a letter this month challenging that legal position.
The letter noted continued lethal actions by U.S. and Iranian forces and proxies after the ceasefire.
It stated that the 60-day limit has no pause mechanism and called on the president to publicly explain his interpretation.
Narrow Vote Reveals Growing Republican Unease
Trump has said his actions are covered by existing authorizations, while critics in Congress say any long-term missions should have specific approval from lawmakers.
The Senate vote outcome leaves the conflict mostly in the president’s hands, for now. However, a string of close votes clearly suggests patience is running out in Congress, even among some Republicans.
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