The measure, known as a concurrent resolution, will not go to the president's desk and doesn't carry the force of law. But it was a major political rebuke of President Trump.Show Caption
WASHINGTON – Both chambers of Congress have now signaled support for ending the war in Iran, reflecting lawmakers' escalating unease with the conflict as President Donald Trump struggles to bring it to an official close.Amid several Republican defections and absences, the Senate on June 23 passed a war powers resolution for the first time to end U.S. military hostilities in the war. The vote was 50-48.The measure, which was largely symbolic and not actually binding, passed the House of Representatives weeks ago. It will not go to the president's desk.Four GOP senators – Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky – voted with Democrats in favor of the resolution. Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania did not vote. McConnell was recently hospitalized for an unspecified health issue. McCormick was at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania.The vote underlined how GOP support for the war is eroding in Congress at a critical moment, with the U.S. and Iran engaged in tenuous, high-level negotiations over a long-term peace agreement.At the same time, tension between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration have reached a boiling point, as the midterm elections fast approach. Trump will make a rare trip to Capitol Hill on June 24 to address Senate Republicans behind closed doors.The White House said in a statement that the Iran resolution had no significance and blamed the result on Republican absences. The administration also argued that American hostilities in Iran already had already terminated, pointing to a May 1 memo that the president sent to lawmakers informing them the conflict was over. Democrats and some Republicans have refuted that assertion amid continued strikes and the U.S. military's ongoing presence in the region.Zachary Schermele is the congressional correspondent for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.Francesca Chambers is a White House correspondent at USA TODAY who covers foreign policy and presidential elections.
