The U.S. Senate on Thursday night reversed itself and rejected a proposal to curb President Donald Trump’s war powers on Iran, voting 50-47 after two Republicans changed their positions. The move came just one day after the chamber had approved a similar measure calling on Trump to halt the war with Iran and withdraw U.S. forces from the Middle East.
Trump’s public criticism of Republicans who backed the limits, or missed the earlier vote, helped drive the turnaround. He argued that the restriction would weaken his leverage in peace talks with Tehran, and the political pressure prompted immediate changes from two senators who had been among the most visible supporters of limiting presidential power.
Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana shifted from supporting the restriction to opposing it. Cassidy had previously clashed sharply with Trump over a lack of transparency, saying an operation that was supposed to last a month had dragged on for four months without meeting its goals. After receiving a detailed intelligence briefing from Vice President J.D. Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, Cassidy said his concerns had eased and thanked them for the quick response.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky changed his vote to present, or abstain. Paul said on social media that his constitutional objections to expanded executive power remained intact, but he changed his vote at the president’s request to give Trump “diplomatic breathing room and leverage” for a lasting peace as the confrontation has calmed. Republican senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski stayed in favor of the limits, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman backed the administration and voted against them. Trump then celebrated on Truth Social, writing, “Wow! The Senate changed its vote on Iran from 50-48 against, to 50-47 for. Rand Paul and Bill Cassidy changed their minds. Thank you to Majority Leader John Thune, Lindsey Graham, Bernie Moreno and everyone. This vote puts Iran on notice!”
