Senate Republicans rejected a war powers resolution in a late-night vote on Wednesday, just hours after President Donald Trump berated GOP senators for opposing his controversial war on Iran. The measure failed 47-50-1 just before midnight, and the Senate then left for a two-week recess.
Earlier in the day, Trump harangued Republican senators during a lunch on Capitol Hill, angered by their decision the previous day to allow a vote to block his war in Iran. The president got into a particularly heated argument with Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, one of four Republicans who had voted with Democrats on the measure. Cassidy had placed third in Louisiana's Senate primary last month after Trump urged voters to back a rival candidate.
Trump's Confrontation with Cassidy
Speaking to reporters after the tense luncheon, Cassidy recounted his exchange with Trump. The president asked, "Why would anybody vote for the War Powers Act?" Cassidy replied, "Is that a rhetorical question, or would you like to really know?" Hours later, Cassidy was invited to the White House for a personal briefing on the war from Vice President JD Vance and Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff. He then returned to the Capitol to vote against a separate, but nearly identical, war powers resolution.
"I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns," Cassidy wrote on X. Cassidy lost re-election last month after Trump endorsed his opponent.
Key Vote and Reactions
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, a Republican who has repeatedly voted with Democrats to halt the war, voted present this time "to give the President more space and leverage to negotiate a lasting peace," he said on X. The measure failed 47-50-1. It remains unclear whether the move will appease Trump, who had called the Republicans "losers" for voting against his war and had called Cassidy a "lunatic" at the lunch.
The vote signaled that Republican senators still want to placate Trump, despite increasing tensions in recent weeks and his decision earlier Wednesday to reverse himself and delay signing a housing bill that received overwhelming bipartisan support. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and a small group of Senate GOP colleagues called Trump after the vote. Thune told reporters the president was "pleased with the outcome." Trump later thanked Thune in a social media post and noted that Cassidy and Paul had switched their votes. "This vote puts Iran on notice!" he wrote.
Symbolic Nature of the Measures
The war powers measure blocked by the Senate on Wednesday was on a separate track from the nearly identical resolution adopted on Tuesday, which had also been passed by the House. Both votes were largely symbolic, and the measures do not carry the full force of law.
