An effort by Senate Democrats to put their prerogatives ahead of Middle East peace was defeated Wednesday night.
The war powers resolution failed 47-53, according to the Associated Press.
Although the vote was largely along party lines, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voted in favor of the resolution to tie President Donald Trump’s hands, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted to let Trump wage war as he sees fit.
“Democrats would rather obstruct Donald Trump than obliterate Iran’s national nuclear program,” Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming said.
As noted by The Hill, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina framed his denigration of the resolution in colloquial terms.
“It sucks,” he said of the resolution. “It’s an unconstitutional shift of power from the commander in chief to the Congress.”
Referring to the 60-day limit given to a president under the post-Vietnam War Powers Resolution of 1973, Graham said invoking the act would be a mistake.
“You’ll set in motion a system where 535 people, after 60 days, become the commander in chief, grinding this nation’s ability to defend itself to a halt,” Graham said, according to NBC News.
“Every day, Iran grows weaker, and we grow stronger,” he said, according to Politico.
“Their ability to generate missile attacks is going down, not up. There will be pain before this is over. The likelihood of casualties is real. But the reason our men and women are over there is to protect us over here.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Trump “has the authority that he needs to conduct the activities, the operations that are currently underway there,” according to The Hill
“The president is acting in the best interests of the nation and our national security interests by ensuring that he’s protecting Americans and American bases and installations in the region,” he said.
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Congress needs to be kept in the loop.
“Passing this resolution now would send the wrong message to Iran and to our troops,” she said. “At this juncture, providing unequivocal support to our service members is critically important, as is ongoing consultation by the administration with Congress.”
Fetterman said he stands not just with Trump, but with Israel.
Love it.
Not sure why it’s controversial to anyone to appreciate and celebrate wiping out 49 leaders of one of the most evil regimes in recorded history. pic.twitter.com/3lyV8fsId4
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) March 2, 2026
“I know probably the most toxic thing you can do as a Democrat is to agree with the president about anything at this point,” Fetterman said shortly before Wednesday’s vote, according to Mediaite.
“I think people in the base, the people in Pennsylvania and the country, I would say, ‘Hey, as a committed Democrat,’ I can say ‘I think this is a good thing,’ and where we are now, I’m proud to stand with Israel,” he said.
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