Failed 2016 Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Tim Kaine’s attempt to block President Donald Trump from seeking further military action in Iran has also failed.
On Friday, the Senate blocked a war powers resolution that Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, introduced on June 16.
Senate votes 53-47 to block Kaine war powers resolution on Iran
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) June 27, 2025
Had the resolution passed, it “would have required Congress to debate and vote on whether the president could declare war or strike Iran,” according to Fox News.
“It is not in our national security interest to get into a war with Iran unless that war is absolutely necessary to defend the United States,” Kaine said in a statement when he introduced the resolution. “I am deeply concerned that the recent escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran could quickly pull the United States into another endless conflict.”
“The American people have no interest in sending service members to fight another forever war in the Middle East. This resolution will ensure that if we decide to place our nation’s men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we will have a debate and vote on it in Congress,” he added.
Read more about my resolution to prevent war with Iran here: https://t.co/Mw0Hs5UM5E.
— Senator Tim Kaine (@SenTimKaine) June 16, 2025
Should Trump have sought congressional approval before bombing Iran
Five days after Kaine introduced the resolution, President Trump bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities with bunker buster bombs. Roughly 48 hours later, a ceasefire was reached.
In remarks made prior to Friday’s vote, the senator mentioned the bombings, which weren’t approved by Congress.
“I think the events of this week have demonstrated that war is too big to consign to the decisions of any one person,” he said, per Fox.
A mostly partisan, 53-member majority of the Senate disagreed, with only Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who’s very pro-Israel, voting “no” and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky voting “yes.”
.@SenFettermanPA on Sen. Tim Kaine’s War Powers Resolution: “I’m going to vote no on that simply because I would never want to restrict any future president, Republican or Democrat, to do this kind of military exercise.” pic.twitter.com/ICaJPOPjMx
— CSPAN (@cspan) June 26, 2025
Kaine had grossly overestimated the support he’d receive from Republicans.
“The Virginia Democrat believes multiple Republicans will support the measure invoking the 1973 War Powers Resolution, though he declined to name names or put a number on it,” Politico reported on June 23.
In a new statement released after Friday’s vote, the senator expressed disappointment with his colleagues’ votes.
“I am disappointed that many of my colleagues are not willing to stand up and say Congress needs to be part of a decision as important as whether or not the U.S. should send our nation’s sons and daughters to fight against Iran,” he said.
“I will continue to do all I can to keep presidents of any party from starting wars without robust public debate by Congress,” he added.
My statement on tonight’s vote on my war powers resolution to require any U.S. participation in offensive hostilities against Iran to be explicitly authorized by Congress: pic.twitter.com/7NFcky6Ijs
— Senator Tim Kaine (@SenTimKaine) June 27, 2025
Prior to the vote, Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucly, the former Republican Senate Majority Leader, delivered a speech in which he cited multiple examples of Democratic presidents pursuing war actions without congressional authority.
“In what ways does this discrete and limited exercise of American power exceed the limits within which President Clinton directed operations in Kosovo or President Obama in Libya?” he said. “In what ways does it differ from the strikes in Syria or Yemen for which President Biden invoked his Article II authorities?”
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