Senate Republicans Reject Resolution to End War in Iran

In a late-night decision intended to placate President Trump, Senate Republicans turned down a resolution that urged him to stop the conflict with Iran. This move came a day after a bipartisan rebuke.

On Wednesday, President Trump went to the Capitol for a tense, private lunch with Senate Republicans. Hours later, following an angry confrontation with Senate Republicans for joining Democrats in passing a war powers resolution criticizing his management of the Iran war, Republican leaders presented another similar measure for a vote.

In a 50-to-47 decision, with one senator marking “present,” they defeated the measure. This action, while mostly symbolic, did not alter the resolution that the Senate narrowly approved earlier. Instead, it served as a clear gesture to soothe a displeased president.

Among the Republican senators who voted on Tuesday to adopt a resolution requiring the end of the war with Iran or seeking Congress’s approval to continue, two changed their votes. Senators Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rand Paul of Kentucky altered their stance.

Senator Cassidy, who earlier had a heated exchange with President Trump about a lack of transparency regarding the war, said he reconsidered his vote after meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Steve Witkoff, the president’s special envoy, at the White House. “I was going to vote yes, but after a comprehensive briefing this evening, I am reassured,” he commented shortly after voting against the measure.

Senator Paul, who marked “present,” explained that President Trump’s comments during the lunch had impacted his voting choice, though his views on the conflict and Congress’s war declaring role remained unchanged.