WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Wednesday rejected an effort to rein in President Donald Trump’s ability to wage war against Iran without approval from Congress, ensuring the massive U.S. air and naval bombardment of the country will continue for the foreseeable future.
The failed 47-53 vote ensures lawmakers will hold no formal debate on another costly military conflict in the Middle East that has already left six U.S. servicemembers and hundreds of Iranian civilians dead. It also comes amid bipartisan concerns about the mission’s shifting objectives, its open-ended scope, and the possibility of Trump committing U.S. boots on the ground.
But nearly every Republican argued this week that Trump has legal authority to unilaterally wage war against Iran because its regime posed a threat to U.S. troops in the region.
“The president has broad authorities under Article II of the Constitution,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said at a press conference. “I think the president is perfectly within his rights to take the steps he took. I think it was a necessary step in order to protect American lives.”
Democrats maintain that Trump should have sought congressional authorization for the strikes, as required by the U.S. Constitution. They forced a vote on the matter under the War Powers Act, which Congress passed in the wake of the Vietnam War to assert its constitutional authority over war-making. The War Powers Act requires the president to notify Congress when committing the U.S. armed forces to hostilities in an emergency when the country is under imminent threat and gives lawmakers the power to trigger snap disapproval votes.
